Communications
by socchan
Summary: Divergence. Since they were nine Shin'ichi and Kaito have been working together to put the murderers of the first Kaitou Kid behind bars. However, they can't guard against what they don't know about, and the consequences of their actions are catching up.
1. Detective

Note: Fic uses Japanese names.

Communications

Detective

By socchan

–Roughly Eight Years Ago…—

Despite nearly every law of theatrics Kuroba Kaito could think of, it was sunny. Sunny and bright and cheerful with only a few scattered clouds to break the monotony of the endless blue sky. By all rights it should be cold, dark and rainy, but for some reason, it wasn't. Which, Kaito reasoned, was probably why he was sitting on the shaded steps in front of his house instead of in the sun.

Kaito was trying very hard to keep up a good Poker Face, like Dad taught him, but a slightly bleak look kept trying to break through. He hadn't had much practice with it—or at least not this much a reason to practice before. His dad was gone; two days ago there had been an accident while he was performing, and he'd—Kaito still had trouble thinking the word. If he didn't think it, it wasn't as real, and maybe his dad could come back—

Kaito cut the chain of thought off before it could do too much damage, and suppressed a scowl. It was such a stupid reason, too! Dad never screwed up his tricks, or if he did, he always made it look like—like—a not screw-up. There was no way he could be—well, it couldn't be because of some stupid accident anyway, because Dad had been the best there was.

Was.

Kaito's vision became slightly blurry, and he fought back the tears pricking his eyes. _Remember Poker Face._ Desperately, he looked around for a distraction to keep from thinking about things he didn't want to think about.

There was a good one: why was that boy walking up to the house?

The boy looked about the same age as Kaito. He was a bit shorter, and his hair was somewhat less messy, unless you counted the cowlick in the back, but otherwise the two of them looked very much alike. There was a determined scowl of sorts on the boy's face, and Kaito watched, interested, as they boy stopped to peer at the kanjis by the gate. The boy dug a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and looked from it to the kanjis to the house number to the paper again. Satisfied, he stuffed it back in his pocket and walked up to where Kaito was sitting, most of the scowl gone from his face.

The boy stopped just short of the steps. "Do you live here?" he asked, without preamble.

Kaito blinked. Well, he had wanted a distraction. "Yeah."

"Are you related to Kuroba Toichi?"

"He's my—he was my Dad."

The boy nodded, sympathetically, then continued. "Can I talk to you, then?" Kaito frowned, thinking about it. "It'll just be for a minute," the boy assured him.

"Well, I guess," Kaito said, reluctantly. He moved over a bit on the steps so the boy could sit next to him.

"Thanks." The boy took the offer and turned to Kaito, offering his hand to shake, Western-style. "I'm Kudo Shin'ichi," he said, "Detective."

Kaito raised an eyebrow and smiled a bit. "Kuroba Kaito," Kaito took Kudo-kun's hand and shook, a small cloud of confetti exploding around it. His smile grew a tiny bit wider. "Magician."

Kudo-kun's eyebrows went up. "Neat trick."

"Thanks."

Kudo-kun looked back at the yard, and Kaito did the same. "I was at your dad's last performance," Kudo-kun remarked, casually.

Something cold and lumpy lodged itself in Kaito's throat, and he had to concentrate very hard on his Poker Face. "Really?"

"I don't think it was an accident," Kudo-kun continued. "The body fell wrong."

Kaito stared at Kudo-kun in shock, the lumpy thing almost vanishing. "So you think it was—"

"Not an accident." Kudo-kun's face had a hard look to it.

Kaito's mind whirled. "Did you tell anyone?"

The scowl returned. "Yes. They didn't believe me. Well, except for Ran, but I think she just said it to be nice to me." He made an unpleasant face. "She's skep-ti-cal." Kudo-kun stretched the word out phonetically, and looked away. "Someday people are gonna listen when I say stuff," he grumbled, "and then bad guys won't get away with being bad."

Kaito watched him and mulled things over a bit. "I believe you," he said, putting as much conviction as he could muster into the words. Kudo-kun looked at him, surprised. "I do. You sound like you really saw what you said you did. Besides, Dad was the best magician _ever_, and even when he made mistakes he turned them into the show." Kaito swelled with pride thinking of his father. "I'm gonna be just like him one day." His face fell, then, but he managed a weak smile. "…Thanks for telling me. About Dad 'n stuff."

Kudo-kun smiled a little lopsidedly. "It's okay. I thought you'd want to know." He hesitated a moment. "Hey, if I find anything else out, you want me to tell you?"

Kaito nodded, vigorously. "Yeah! I mean," he backtracked, good manners kicking in, "yes, please."

"Okay." Kudo-kun stood up and started to walk away.

A thought occurred to Kaito. "Hey!" Kudo-kun stopped and looked back at him expectantly. "How come you're not in school? I'm staying home because of—well, yeah. What about you?"

Kudo-kun blushed slightly, looking guilty. "I skipped. I told Ran I had something really important to do so she would let me go. I still have to give her three candy bars and a box of Pocky for not telling on me, though." To his surprise, Kaito found himself suppressing a laugh. Kudo-kun smiled sheepishly. "Anyway, I gotta go now. Ran's prolly worried. And Mom, and Dad." He rolled his eyes.

Kaito grinned. "See you later, then, Kudo-kun."

Kudo-kun also grinned, and waived to Kaito. "See you, Kuroba-kun." Then he turned around again and started walking back where he'd come from.

Kaito watched him leave. He thought about Poker Face, and accidents-that-weren't-accidents, and bad guys. He thought about how maybe, _maybe_, he was just a _little_ okay with it being bright and sunny and cheerful instead of dark and cold and rainy. He thought really hard about his dad and about the right thing. And it seemed like suddenly he felt just a little bit less sad and a lot more determined. Kaito's Poker Face slipped on again, and this time it fit just a little bit better.

—End—

Please note: At this point the story line diverges from the original. In other words, it started out the same, but now it's going in a different direction.

Constructive criticism is appreciated.

For more in depth notes on the story and (eventually) fan art, please see my livejournal.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	2. Searching

Searching

By socchan

Kaito stared.

He blinked, twice, half-hoping the image would vanish when he closed his eyes; it didn't.

He frowned inside slightly at the two children trying to get into the theatre, wondering what they were doing. They were his age, one boy, one girl, both with brown hair, their backs facing him. The girl's hair reached almost to her shoulders and she was slightly taller than the boy she stood next to. The boy's hair was short, sticking up a bit in the back, and there was something familiar about him. Very familiar, in fact. Kaito shuffled through his mind for a name to match the figure, and stumbled across one, surprised.

"Kudo-kun?" The boy jumped back from the door guiltily and turned to face Kaito, the girl falling into a slightly clumsy fighting stance beside him. "What are you _doing_?" Kudo-kun relaxed a bit, recognizing the speaker, but looked almost no less guilty. The girl next to him straightened from her stance and looked confusedly from one boy to the other.

"Kuroba-kun! Well, uh, you see…" Kudo-kun shifted uncomfortably.

"Shin'ichi?" the girl asked, confused. "Who's that?"

Kudo-kun's ears turned red. "Well, you know that thing I had to go and do last week?"

The girl crossed her arms and scowled. "Yes. And _you_ still owe me a candy bar for telling the teacher you were sick."

"Well, he's the person I went to see."

Abruptly, Kaito found himself the subject of an intense measuring gaze. "What's he got to do with the important thing?" the girl queried.

Kudo-kun looked briefly at Kaito. "I told you about the magician I went to see the other night, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, he's the magician's kid."

"Oh." Enlightenment dawned. "Oh! Right." The girl had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Anyway, Kuroba-kun?" Kudo-kun addressed Kaito. "This is my friend Mouri Ran. I told you about her a little, remember?" Kaito nodded. "Ran, this is Kuroba Kaito."

Kaito smiled pleasantly and bowed. "Nice to meet you, Mouri-chan." He pulled a daisy from thin air and handed it to her. Mouri-chan blushed and tucked the flower behind her ear. Kudo-kun scowled slightly at Kaito. "Anyway," Kaito turned back to Kudo-kun. "What _are_ you doing here?"

"Shin'ichi's trying to get into the theatre so he can look for clues." Mouri-chan stated, matter-of-factly. Kudo-kun glared at her but without much venom. It had not escaped Kaito's notice that the theatre they stood by was the one at which his father had preformed. He brushed the thought away. "I came along 'cause I'm learning Karate, and I can break through doors that he can't get open and if he runs into any bad people I can protect him." Mouri-chan inflated with self-esteem.

Kaito frowned. "You can't get the door open?" He didn't much care for the idea of his father's old theatre being damaged.

"No," Kudo-kun replied, "It's locked up."

"Here, I'll get it." Brushing Kudo-kun and Mouri-chan to the side, Kaito took a set of oddly shaped wires from his back pocket. Selecting a few, he clutched the others between his teeth and set to work. After thirty seconds and a few odd clicking sounds, Kaito tried the door; it swung open easily. Smiling, Kaito replaced the lock picks.

Kudo-kun and Mouri-chan openly stared. "How did you do that?" Kudo-kun inquired.

Kaito flashed a small smile. "My dad taught me. He said it was for any time that something was locked that I needed to get in or out of. But I'm only s'posed to use it when it's _really_ important." He gazed somberly at the open doorway. "I figure this counts as 'really important'. Don't'cha think, Kudo-kun?"

Kudo-kun's mouth shut with a faint 'click'. "Uh, yeah." He regarded the doorway for a moment before nodding once. He stepped through with an abrupt "Let's go," Mouri-chan and Kaito trailing behind him.

Kaito looked in awe around the darkened theatre. Empty tables were scattered around the floor, chairs resting up-turned on their surfaces. Unlit chandlers dangled from the ceiling like cobwebs. What sunlight that managed to shine through the high-up, distant windows only enhanced and distorted the odd shadows reaching across the floor. Dust settled everywhere with no one there to disturb it.

Kaito didn't care much for the atmosphere in empty theatres. They always seemed colder, less friendly than during a performance. During shows, it was still very dark and full of illusions, but the audience and performer cheered it up to no end, bringing life to an otherwise dead room. From the corner of his eye he saw Mouri-chan shiver slightly, and Kudo-kun move almost invisibly closer to her; it seemed he wasn't the only one who didn't appreciate the atmosphere.

"Look," Kudo-kun motioned to the dusty floor. (Why was he whispering? Kaito wondered. For that matter, why did _he_ feel the need to cultivate the silence? Usually Kaito felt oppressed by it, but now it seemed somehow appropriate, as if making any noise louder than a heartbeat would attract untoward attention.) "Footprints. Someone's been here recently, and it doesn't look like they've left yet." Mouri-chan squeaked faintly, and clung to Kudo-kun's arm.

Kaito glanced behind them. "Kudo-kun? Do we need to be worried about someone noticing _our_ footprints?"

Kudo-kun glanced back and gulped. "Um, I don't think so, but just in case, we'd better be extra careful." Kaito and Mouri-chan nodded, grateful to be doing something, even if it was too little, too late. Near-silently, the trio made their way to the stage area.

Near the side entrance two sets of stairs stretched away, one up, one down. Kaito's gaze flowed from one to the other to backstage, then to Kudo-kun. Kudo-kun was examining the possibilities in his own way, precise and calculating. Mouri-chan was mostly watching Kudo-kun for cues, though she stole her own glances up, down and to the side.

"Should we split up?" Kaito whispered.

Kudo-kun shook his head. "No. We stick together. Better slow and careful than fast and sloppy. Besides, I might get to someplace locked, and that would be a dead-end."

Kaito nodded, accepting the logic. "Which way first?"

Kudo-kun's eyebrows drew together. "The stage. If there are any obvious clues, they'll be there. There's not likely to be as much in the pit or on the catwalk." Kudo-kun's eyes flickered suddenly, and he grabbed Mouri-chan's wrist and dragged her to the curtain, hissing a "Come on!" to Kaito. Kaito hastened to follow.

Wrapped in the billowing cloth and shadows of the drawn curtains, Mouri-chan, Kudo-kun and Kaito huddled close together. "What—" Mouri-chan started to ask, but Kudo-kun cut her off with a hand over her mouth and a sharp "Shh!" Mouri-chan looked irritated, but didn't do anything. They waited with baited breath.

Then, Kaito heard it. A soft, echoing 'thudding' noise, then clicks accompanied by creaks, as if someone large were climbing a rather old iron staircase. His eyes darted to the stairs leading up from the pit.

Hidden in the curtain, Kaito, Kudo-kun and Mouri-chan watched as a man ascended the stairs. He was of average height and weight and wore all black—even a hat and sunglasses, which was odd, especially indoors. His hair was a reddish blonde, and reached just past his ears. His un-obscured features were mostly Central-European, though there was a strong hint of Irish to them as well. The man carried himself in a way that suggested anyone who found fault with him would soon be in very deep trouble, and would remember it for a long time to come—should they get a chance to walk away. Kaito swallowed as he watched the man walk towards center stage.

About halfway there the man stopped to pick something up. He straightened and lifted it to the light; something long, thin and silvery glinted in his fingers. The man tucked it into a pocket and pulled out something else—a phone of some sort. Hitting a selected few buttons with the ease of familiarity, the man held the phone to his ear and waited a moment.

Silence for a few seconds—the silence of an empty stage and a deserted theatre, of a man waiting patiently and three children also waiting; mostly of calm but spiked with traces of fear. Then the man broke it.

"Rum here. Objective completed." Slight pause. "Confirmed. No reason to believe that." Slight pause. "The records have already been taken care of. There is nothing to suggest murder." Longer pause. "New objective?" Short pause. "Understood. Rum out." Folding the phone, the man returned it to his pocket. With the same air of dangerous calm he had so far moved in, the man turned, walked offstage and out a side exit. The door clicked shut with an air of finality.

When the last echoes of the shutting door faded the three figures hidden in the curtain relaxed. Kudo-kun dropped his hand from Mouri-chan's mouth, and Kaito began to breathe normally again. The trio shared a smile, giddy with relief and fading adrenaline. Kudo-kun pulled the curtain aside and walked towards the stage. He crouched down near where the man— Rum? —had bent over and peered at the floor. Kaito and Mouri-chan leaned over his shoulder.

"What is it?" Kaito asked in (still) hushed tones.

Kudo-kun pointed to something on the floor. "An outline. The man smeared is some, but there's an outline from what he picked up." Kaito squinted and saw, faintly, a patch on the floor naked of dust. "It looks about the right size for a match stick," Kudo-kun muttered.

"It looked kind-of like a needle when he held it up," Kaito remembered aloud.

Mouri-chan nodded. "I saw it flash."

"…A thicker-than-usual needle that had something to do with murder…" Kudo-kun mumbled, half to himself. Kaito and Mouri-chan observed his musings in awkward silence.

"Maybe the needle had poison in it?" Mouri-chan suggested, timidly.

"If it had poison in it there wouldn't be nearly enough to kill him with." Kudo-kun pointed out.

"Oh."

"What if there didn't have to be a lot?" Kaito asked.

Kudo-kun shook his head. "If there was a poison that could kill someone from such a small amount, it would probably do some pretty noticeable damage to the body."

"I mean, what if it didn't have to kill? What if there just needed to be enough to—to hurt really bad? Or stun or something?" Kaito clarified. Kudo-kun turned and stared at him. Kaito shifted slightly, uncomfortable. "When you do magic, there's a lot that has to do with timing," he continued, "Especially with really big tricks. So if you have to pay attention to something else during the trick—"

"Something might go wrong." Kudo-kun finished for him. The three stared for a moment at the broken silhouette in the dust, silent. "I think," Kudo-kun said, slowly, "that we aren't going to find anything else here." Kaito and Mouri-chan nodded. Wordlessly, they made their way back out of the theatre.

Kaito blinked in the open sunlight. Suddenly the events of the theatre seemed much less real. He stepped away from the door and it swung close with a click, the tumblers in the lock sliding back into place. Kaito pulled the handle to make sure the lock was working; satisfied, he turned back to Kudo-kun and Mouri-chan.

Kudo-kun spoke up first. "We have a method, now." He said, in neutral tones. "And possibly a murderer. Or murder_ers_. But we don't have a motive or evidence."

"And we don't know who that guy was or if we'll see him again." Mouri-chan added.

Kudo-kun nodded. "That's why we can't tell anyone. They'll never believe us without proof."

Kaito looked from one to the other. "So I guess that's what we look for next." That hadn't come out quite right. Kaito frowned and tried again. "What I mean is, we watch and listen for the stuff you said, not that we actually go looking for it." The sheer enormity of the situation had begun to dawn on Kaito, and it scared him more than a little. Kudo-kun and Mouri-chan seemed to echo his sentiments. Kaito cast a wistful glance at the road. "Anyway, I'd better go. I told Mom I'd pick something p from the market for her." He bowed swiftly to Kudo-kun and Mouri-chan. "Nice meeting you. See you later."

The corner of Kudo-kun's mouth turned up in a sort of a smile. "You, too." Mouri-chan nodded, smiling somewhat more obviously than Kudo-kun.

Flashing a grin of his own, Kaito began to walk away and waved over his shoulder. "Bye!" His walk turned to a jog, and he hurried to the market.

--End—

For anyone interested, Rum's full code-name is Rum N. Coke. If there is already a canon character that has this name, I am unfamiliar with him/her and apologize profusely for the misuse of it. Also, I couldn't really see Gin, Vodka or Tequila rooting around dusty theatres for small needles, and Vermouth doesn't strike me as the sort of person who would deal with that sort of thing.

I don't know a lot about poisons, so if anything I wrote is inaccurate, well, it's unintended. Also, about the only thing I know about theatres is stage directions, so I might have gotten some things wrong there, too. I'm still unfamiliar with canon, but I'm messing around with continuity anyway, so readers might be more inclined to ignore those mistakes (though why I don't know). Still, if anyone notices any glaring inaccuracies, I'd appreciate knowing about them.

Continuation possibly forthcoming.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito(u?) are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	3. Quiet

Quiet

By socchan

Nakamori Aoko was torn.

Today was the day of her class's long-awaited trip to the local aquarium, and Kuroba Kaito, her best friend in the entire world, was being difficult.

It had started a few weeks ago when the permission forms had been handed out.  For four days straight, Kaito had 'lost' his.  On the fifth day, the teacher had finally given up and had Aoko take one to Kaito's mother.  Kuroba-san had thanked Aoko, signed the form, and had the girl hand it in the next day.

A few days after this, Kaito had tried playing 'sick', in order to get out of the trip in advance.  His mother had somehow seen through his efforts all three days he'd tried it and still managed to get him out the door on time to walk to school with Aoko.

Following this, Kaito had seemed to give up and sulk, but Aoko knew from past experience that in reality he was plotting new and more complex ways to get out of the trip.  Experience bore her out as that morning the fire alarm had gone off no less than five times before her class was scheduled to leave.  There was no evidence of anything having set it off, but Aoko knew better, having seen Kaito messing with one of the devices before school.

When this failed to even delay the trip, Kaito had managed to disappear a total of six times—four times on the way to the bus, and twice on board, to the general delight of their classmates and distress of their teacher.  Upon arriving at the aquarium, Kaito pulled his biggest stunt yet, attempting to fool the authorities with several false Kaitos.  Unfortunately, the copies weren't very good (a fact hindered by the class members who had been unwittingly disguised).  The real Kaito had been found in a matter of minutes, and things returned, for the time being, to what passed as normal.

Thus, the teacher, believing the worst had passed, was unprepared for when Kaito had unobtrusively slipped off just before they started the tour.  Aoko, however, had expected another attempt, and doubled back after her friend when the teacher wasn't looking.

She had planned simply to find him and drag him back to where the class was, never mind how reluctant he seemed to be about the trip.  But when she _did_ find him in the lobby, he was doing magic tricks, entertaining passers-by.  She watched the people watching Kaito as he smiled, making doves appear from thin air and then vanish with a poof of feathers.  Suddenly, Aoko had second thoughts; this was the most like himself Kaito had acted in more than a month.

Kaito had been acting very unusual lately.  Aoko would have understood if he was just sad or withdrawn—he had just lost his father, and she knew if _her_ dad died it would make _her_ sad—but this didn't seem quite right somehow.  He had acted sad the first day or so after the accident, but by the time the funeral took place he didn't seem as down.  Or, if he was, he didn't act it.

Kaito had also been oddly _quiet_ the past several weeks.  Quiet and thoughtful, at odd intervals when he thought no one would notice.  Aside from those infrequent spells, he'd acted more or less normal—well, normal for Kaito, anyway—but there was still a bit of a shadow to it.  It was, Aoko thought, like he was thinking about something very important.

It made Aoko unhappy that Kaito couldn't seem to share his problem with her, but mostly she was worried.  Best friends, after all, were hard to come by.

So, when Aoko found Kaito delightedly performing magic for an amused crowd of onlookers, she also found herself faced with a choice: remain here with Kaito, not telling anyone, and risk the teacher's wrath, or drag Kaito back to the tour and destroy this fragile happiness that had settled around him.  And then she found there was no choice at all, really.

"Kaito!"  Kaito turned and blinked large purple-blue eyes at his best friend in surprise.

"Aoko?"

Aoko scowled and crossed her arms.  "Why didn't you _tell_ me you wanted to do a magic show today?  I coulda been your assistant!"

Kaito smiled at her, a warm, friendly, familiar smile.  "You still can be, if you want," he offered.

Aoko smiled back, just as brightly.  "Good.  Then I want to."

Aoko laughed, giddily, as a dove appeared in a burst of small white flowers and perched on her head.  Hopefully soon Kaito would tell her what was bothering him, but for now he was happy, and that was all that mattered.

—End—

I guess you could call this a filler episode.

Thanks to Summercloud for beta reading this for me.

More coming.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan/Magic Kaito(u?) are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	4. Allies

Allies

By socchan

"Kuroba-kun!"

Kaito looked up, startled, as, for the second time that day, his impromptu magic show was interrupted. Two small, dark-haired figures were making their way across the lobby to him. He smiled in recognition and waved, startling a dove into flight. "Kudo-kun! Mouri-chan!" Beside him, Aoko cocked her head curiously.

The two children stopped just short of Kaito and Aoko. "Hey," Kudo-kun said with a familiar half-smile.

"Hey yourself. What're you doing here?"

"We came here on a field trip, but Shin'ichi thought he saw a mystery so we got separated." Mouri-chan answered. Kudo-kun made a face at her, and she returned it with one of her own. "You?"

"We're here on a trip, too, but I didn't want to take the tour, so I decided to wait out here." Kaito replied. (While was true—he really _didn't_ want to take the tour—he wasn't about to tell anyone why.) Kaito's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing her throat. He turned to see Aoko with her arms crossed, wearing a look that suggested that he'd better tell her what was going on or she'd find something to chase him with. Kaito hastened to comply. "Ah, Kudo-kun, Mouri-chan, this is my best friend, Nakamori Aoko. She decided to wait with me. Her dad's a police inspector. Aoko, this is Kudo Shin'ichi and Mouri Ran. Kudo-kun's a detective, and Mouri-chan knows karate."

Aoko, suddenly all smiles and cheerfulness, bowed politely. "Nice to meet you, Kudo-san, Mouri-san." The other two bowed in return.

"Nice to meet you, too," Mouri-chan answered brightly. "And please, call me—" She broke off suddenly and went very pale.

Kudo-kun frowned in concern. "Ran? You okay?" Wordlessly, Mouri-chan pointed. Kaito looked and his breath caught in his throat.

Across the lobby, dressed identically to when they had last seen him and carrying a sleek briefcase (also black), was the man called Rum.

Kaito suddenly wished he were on the tour looking at—shudder—fish instead of in the lobby watching a man in black. "Is that really the guy from the theatre?" he heard himself ask.

"I'm pretty sure, yeah." Kudo-kun frowned. "He's waiting for someone."

"How do you know?"

"He's being sneaky about it, but he keeps looking at his watch."

"How can he see the watch with sunglasses on?" Kaito wondered aloud. Kudo-kun glared at him.

"D'you think that's him?"

_Huh?_ Kaito blinked at Aoko. "Who?"

"That man near the entrance," Aoko replied calmly. "He's dressed the same way."

Kaito started to turn, but Kudo-kun grabbed his shoulder. "Kuroba-kun," he whispered urgently, "do you know any magic tricks with mirrors you could do?"

Kaito's eyebrows went up. "Probably. If I don't, I can make one up. How come?"

Grave blue eyes bore into him. "We don't want to look like we're watching them."

Understanding dawned. Grinning to himself simply for the magic's sake, Kaito reached over and pulled a small round mirror from Mouri-chan's ear. Kudo-kun lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing. The four children crowded around the mirror as Kaito tilted it to catch the second man's reflection.

The second man was larger than the first, darker and rather hairy with a mustache clinging to his upper lip. He moved with obvious menace as he walked towards the first one. He stopped just short of Rum and did what in other circumstances might have been called exchanging pleasantries. Kaito flinched as they glanced around the lobby, and did his best to act natural. _Don't notice us, don't notice us, don't notice us… _The words ran through Kaito's mind like a mantra. At last, the darker man took the briefcase from Rum, and the two men made their way to the exit silently.

Kaito tucked the mirror away, troubled and frightened but hiding it under Poker Face. "Kaito?" Aoko asked quietly. "Who were those guys?"

Memories still raw and fresh stirred in him. "Bad people," he answered simply.

"What were they doing here?"

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't good."

"…do you think we should tell my dad?"

Kaito paused. "No, I don't."

Aoko looked confused. "Why not?" She asked, hurt.

It took a little while for Kaito to find the right words. "Aoko, those guys killed my dad." Aoko stiffened in shock beside him. Mouri-chan shifted anxiously, and Kudo-kun listened with a grim expression. "And maybe it wasn't actually either of those two guys, but they had something to do with it." Kaito continued. "I don't know a lot for sure. I just know that they've hurt people before and they might hurt other people. And we can't tell anyone, because no one would believe us. Well, your dad might, but he's prob'ly the only one, and there are a lot more people that need to believe before we can do anything."

Aoko's eyes were wide with fear. Then she blinked, and when they opened again there was nothing but determination and anger. "What do we do about them?"

Kaito lost Poker Face and his eyebrows went up. "Aoko?"

"I _like_ living in this place, and I like the people here, and _you_ are _my_ best friend, and if the bad guys wanna do any bad stuff to you or anyone else, they're gonna hafta deal with ME." Aoko crossed her arms and jutted her chin out stubbornly. Then her mood switched again, and she was looking at him with concern. "That's what you've been thinking about, isn't it? Almost since your dad died, you've been thinking about those people and what to do about them."

Kaito looked away guiltily, and nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, now I know, so I can help." Aoko smiled at him, and Kaito found himself smiling back. Then he saw something over her shoulder and his smile vanished.

"Our class is back! We gotta go!" Kaito hesitated, then turned to Mouri-chan and Kudo-kun and bowed swiftly. "Good to see you again."

"Very nice to meet both of you," Aoko said, also bowing. "I'll see you later."

"Good-bye, nice to meet you, too." Mouri-chan replied, while Kudo-kun just waved.

Kaito took Aoko's hand and the two of them ran to catch up with their class.

—End—

This bit ends what I have affectionately dubbed the 'Kiddie Kaito' saga. (Please pardon the pun. My beta reader took it and turned it around, calling everyone as they are now the Kaito Kids, which I also find adorable, and am plotting to steal and/or Kidnap.;) This does not, however, mean that 'Communications' is over. There are still a few scenes that are bugging me, so more is most likely coming.

Responses appreciated.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	5. Discovery

Discovery

By socchan

Kaito stared intently at the portrait of his father hanging on the wall, ignoring the homework in front of him, lost in thought.

Kudo-kun had called about an hour ago for their weekly check-up. Neither of them had any new information (there had been very little activity lately compared to five years ago, which worried Kudo-kun; he suspected they were getting better at covering their tracks) but they talked anyway, speculating a bit. Over the years the quartet had found evidence suggesting that the crime syndicate responsible for the murder of Kaito's father had even more power than the Yakuza, and Kudo-kun suspected it reached farther than the evidence could actually suggest. Even worse than that, every piece of evidence that they _had_ found was compromised in some way, so they couldn't use it. The four of them—himself, Kudo-kun, Mouri-chan and Aoko—had gotten themselves in deeper trouble than they ever could have imagined, and they appeared to still be sinking. Every now and again, one of them would discover something new, some crime with ties to the organization or a snippet of rumor about people dressed in black, and the pit would deepen.

They had been looking for five years, as discretely as possible, and still Kaito's most important question remained unanswered: why had they killed his father?

Sighing, Kaito gave up on his homework and got to his feet, running his hand wistfully along the edge of his father's portrait. "I wish you could tell me…"

There was a soft _click_ as Kaito applied a bit too much pressure in one particular spot, the click of a latch opening. Kaito's eyes widened in shock as the portrait swung back under his hand to form a door. A stairway climbed down from where the picture/door was set in the wall. Entranced, Kaito stepped through, oblivious to the second soft clicking noise, but only until a slightly scratchy tape recording began to play.

"I know we have not met for a while, Kaito, but there is an important secret I want you to know." Kaito descended the stairs, pulled by the sound of his father's voice (he couldn't _actually_ have forgotten what it sounded like after only five years, could he?). Hopes he had thought long dead—that his father was only on a trip, that his death was only an act—stirred within him, but he pushed them aside; he knew what was real. "I am actually Kid the phantom thief," the tape continued, "I knew someday you would find this room, just as I suspected I might not be there to show it to you. If you are listening to this, it means my suspicions were correct, and I got too close." Kaito at last found the tape player amongst the disarray in the room and, smiling sadly, sat down to listen.

"Kaito, if you choose to become a phantom thief, there are two things I want you never to forget. First, always remember your Poker Face. Second, be wary of men in black." Kaito's blood ran cold at the mention of 'men in black'. He forced his attention back to the tape. "If you look, you may be able to find what I could not. No matter what you choose, Kaito, I know you will make me proud. Good luck." The message ended, and all there was left was white noise. Slowly, Kaito reached over and turned off the tape player.

A hidden room. Kaitou Kid. Men in black. 'Find what I could not'. The discovery worked like a set of picks for Kaito, unlocking ideas and answers that he couldn't have formed without it. He sat, overwhelmed, trying desperately to put things together correctly.

His father, likely as the Kaitou Kid, had been looking for something the mysterious organization was interested in. He had gotten too close, so the men in black had killed him.

Kaito glanced over at the wall where a white suit hung, complete with a cape and top hat. _It looks a little big yet,_ he thought. _I'll have to wait until I grow into it._ It registered with him with a bit of a shock that he'd already decided to don his father's old mask.

_Well, why not?_ He mused, mostly for his own benefit. _I can't do anything else about the organization. Well, unless one of us finds something we can use. Besides, that outfit won't fit for a couple of years yet; if we really haven't found anything by then, I'll be more than ready for drastic measures. And in the mean time…_ Kaito glanced around the disorderly room, a fond smile curving his lips. _In the mean time, I can catch up on things with my dad._

Kaito stood and began to explore the old room. Far above him the hidden side of a picture and of a man's identity watched him.

—End—

Notes: The back face of Toichi's portrait is actually a picture of the Kid. I guess it's double-canvassed?

Thanks, as always, to my beta-reader Summercloud, without whom this would be a much poorer read.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	6. Words Left Unsaid

Words Left Unsaid

By socchan

Aoko found Kaito around four o'clock, sitting in the den and staring off into space. Knowing it was better to wait for him to speak than to try to question him, Aoko took a chair near him and waited. Silence wrapped around the two of them, making her that much more aware of her surroundings. It was not the most comfortable silence, but for now, as she waited for Kaito to find the words he needed, Aoko supposed it was close enough.

Kaito let the air out of his lungs with a heavy sigh and dropped his forehead to rest in his right hand.

"Kaito?" Aoko quietly prompted.

He smiled at her in a strained sort of way and worry clenched at her heart. "I think—" Kaito began, halted, and started again. "I think I may have found something important for my father's case."

Aoko was stunned. "Really? You mean after Kudo-kun called? What was it?"

Kaito's smile faltered and for a moment the strain on his face was clear. "Aoko? Promise not to hate me for this?"

Aoko passed through stunned and right into shock. "Kaito! Of course! I couldn't possibly hate you! Why do you even think you need to ask?"

For a moment Kaito's strained look was traded for a relieved smile, but the strain returned as he continued. "D'you promise…" he paused and licked his lips, then went on hoarsely, "do you promise not to hate my dad?"

Aoko was floored by the question. She had to stop and think hard, her mind reeling from the implications.

"It's not terrible, really," Kaito tried to reassure her. "I mean, he didn't do anything—well he didn't hurt people at least, I swear."

"I promise, Kaito," Aoko told him solemnly.

Kaito hesitated another moment, then steeled himself. "Right. This isn't going to be easy, though."

Again she waited as Kaito sought the will to act. His eyes met hers as he stood and walked across the room. At his gesture she hesitantly followed him. Slowly his hand rose to his father's portrait. Aoko's eyes widened as it swung open. Kaito flashed her one last worried look before he stepped through.

Stairs pulled the two of them downward into the hidden room. The part of Aoko that remembered seeing her father work mimicked his procedure as she took stock of her surroundings: magic supplies crowded on table tops and against walls with other odd objects that seemed to have nothing to do with illusion. A car was somehow squeezed into the tiny room. Various technical gadgets ranged across workspaces.

For a long moment, Aoko's eye was caught and held by a white suit in a corner and a matching top hat on a rack near-by. Little details fell into place and she turned to Kaito to voice her suspicions. "Kaitou Kid?"

Kaito nodded a touch forlornly, and Aoko frowned. There was something he wasn't saying; her thoughts picked up again as she began to reason out what.

Snippets of conversation from only minutes ago floated back to her—'_I found something important for my father's case_' and '_Do you promise not to hate my dad_'—she didn't, though she couldn't say just why; perhaps it had something to do with making the right enemies—and just before that he'd asked her…

Aoko's eyes widened. '_Do you promise not to hate me for this?_' The question was so like the one that followed it that it had almost slipped her mind. Add to that Kaito's simple nod in response to the guess she'd made about his father and it went a great deal farther to explaining his behavior.

If Kaito had been worried she would hate his father for being the Kid, he must have been terrified of what her reaction would be when she found out he planned to follow in his father's footsteps.

Aoko focused on Kaito again. His Poker Face was firmly in place, but she knew him well enough to see the anxiety he felt behind it. She knew without doubt that she could no more hate Kaito for his decision than she could hate his father.

Aoko smiled gently at him. "I understand," she told him.

'_I understand that you have to do this for your father_,' she didn't say out loud. '_That you have to do this for yourself_. _That you're sorry that my dad may be the one who chases you but you have to do this anyway_.

'_That even though in most circumstances this wouldn't be the right thing to do, in these ones it might_. _Because this is how you're going to fight the organization that has done so many terrible things, just like I will be fighting them by helping you_.'

Kaito slowly smiled back at her, relieved, and Aoko knew he'd heard the things she hadn't said.

—End—

Thanks as always to Summercloud for beta-reading.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	7. Data Transfer

Data Transfer

By socchan

Aoko sat back in her chair and flipped open a manila folder. Taking the top sheet, she placed it face down in a scanner. The machinery whirred pleasantly as she directed the software. The lid was briefly outlined in light that moved from one end to the other, and then an image appeared on the screen.

It was a fairly standard police document listing basic details about a subject. The subject himself, however, was far from standard.

_Kaitous, or "phantom thieves," themselves are not terribly unusual. In any given year three or four new ones appear, generally on the main islands. Nor is the phenomenon unique to Japan, though in different regions phantom thieves are characterized differently._

_What made this subject stand out was how long he'd lasted. Nearly half of all Kaitou cases end between the time the notice was sent and the time the theft was to be committed. An additional third end during the first heist. Just less than a sixth last two or three, and a remaining handful managed to survive a few months of 'work' intact._

Aoko saved the image and scanned the next one.

_The Kaitou Kid had lasted for years before his disappearance._

The mouse clicked and the monitor hummed faintly.

_His present status was 'Inactive, Presumed Dead'._

Aoko's movements were close to mechanical as she scanned documents and tried not to think about what she was doing, that she was be breaking the law.

_When he had been active, there was no mistaking the Kid as anything but alive._

She tried not to think that what Kaito might do in a few years would definitely be illegal.

_Nearly every Kaitou has a gimmick of some sort, and the Kid certainly wasn't the first to use sleight-of-hand, but he had a certain flair that made him stand out. Even if he hadn't lasted as long as he had, he would have been remembered for his style._

She tried _really_ hard not to think that it would be her father chasing him.

There had, of course, been copycats—more when he'd been active, though there had been two since he'd vanished. The Kid had taken his reputation quite seriously, and when copycats had attempted to use his name in his place the police often ended up with some unexpected help. The fact that the Kid hadn't shown up for the two most recent attempts to steal his title seemed to confirm rumors of his untimely demise.

She tried not to think of anything at all really beyond 'scan,' 'copy,' and 'save'.

(From down the hall there was a groan of bedsprings and the rustle of shifting cloth as a body stirred, and Aoko stopped breathing. She _really_ didn't want to think about what would happen if her father found her here, in his office, in the wee hours of the morning, copying his documents on the Kaitou Kid—

But no, he was only rolling over. Aoko remembered to breathe as his snore started up again, muffled by the walls and the distance between them.)

_Sometimes Aoko's father would look back through his old Kid files. It was usually when he needed a break, or to organize his thoughts on a more recent case, but sometimes it was just because. It was like a hobby for him, Aoko supposed, to go back in time or memory and try to puzzle out his greatest adversary; to reminisce; to wonder at why the Kid had vanished as unexpectedly as he'd appeared. Nakamori Ginzo didn't seem to want to talk about it, so Aoko didn't ask._

If she stopped to think about what she was doing, or why, or what it meant, she might stop or run or break down and tell her father or just _give up_—and that she really couldn't do, because this was too important for her to quit now; too much depended on it.

So Aoko kept scanning, reaching for new folders as the old ones were copied through until she reached out her hand and met empty air.

Aoko turned and blinked, confused, until it dawned on her that she had scanned everything. A glance at the clock told her that she still had a few hours before school started, so if she hurried she could still get a little sleep.

Silently, Aoko cleaned up the files scattered around her father's office. Before shutting down the computer, she ejected a very important disk. Tired and satisfied, Aoko turned out the lights, shut the door and went to bed.

--------

"Aoko!" Kaito pounded on the Nakamori's front door. "C'mon, we're going to be late—"

The door swung open under his fist and Aoko ducked around it. There were shadows under her eyes and her hair looked half-brushed. "Morning Kaito," she said with a yawn.

Kaito blinked at the strangeness of it, then switched to a teasing grin. "This is certainly a switch. Usually, you have to drag me out of bed, but today it's the other way around."

Aoko shrugged. "I was up late." She smiled at him then, and Kaito decided to let the matter drop.

"Whatever."

They walked in companionable silence for a few blocks, then Aoko glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "I made something for you," she admitted with a blush.

Kaito's eyebrows went up. "You did?"

Aoko nodded. "Here," she stopped to root through her bag, then handed him a burned CD. "It's everything I could find on your dad—reviews, performance dates, invitations, the works. You'd be surprised at what my dad kept."

Kaito's eyes widened as he accepted the disk. "You mean—this is—?"

"Yeah. Don't tell anyone, though." She winked conspiratorially at him.

A grin stretched across his lips. "Of course. Thank you."

She smiled prettily at him then, traces of her blush still staining her cheeks. "Well, we _are_ in this together, after all."

After that, Kaito felt that even if they both got detentions and had to stand in the hall with water buckets all day it would be worth being late.

—End—

Thanks to Summercloud.

Comments and Criticism appreciated.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	8. Freefall

Freefall

By socchan

—A few months ago…—

"I know it's you."

Kaitou Kid came to a lingering halt a few meters from the edge of the roof. He'd half expected this. The part of him that was still Kuroba Kaito was terrified, but the part of him that was Kid was in control just now, so he turned slowly to face his adversary.

Kaito panicked as Kudo-kun stared into him, past the costume, the top hat and the monocle, boring into what they hid and pinning it down like a butterfly collector with a precious specimen. Kid stared back, a confident half-smile never leaving what could be seen of his face. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met," Kid said, polite tones amused and bordering mocking.

Kudo-kun scowled and continued. "We need to talk." Kid said nothing, content to smile; inside, unseen, Kaito squirmed. "I thought you might try something once you found out, but this—!"

Kid kept smiling and lifted a shoulder, unflappable. "I'm going to return it, so I don't see what the problem is. It's not as if I _want_ it."

Kudo-kun opened his mouth to retort. He closed it again with a snap and his eyes narrowed. "So that's how we're playing, is it? Fine; we'll play it your way."

Even Kid felt the rush of panic as Kudo-kun pulled a cell phone from his jacket pocket and began to dial, but it faded when the number was clearly not that of the police. It was Kaito that fear sank into, raking icy claws across his skin and nerve endings. He recognized that number. How long, Kaito wondered distantly, had he been watching people after all? Certainly long enough to become familiar with a series of numbers on a phone pad (he knew for a fact that Kudo-kun refused to use speed dial 'for security reasons'). Anxiety paralyzed him as Kudo-kun began to speak.

"Hello, Kuroba-obaasan?" Kudo-kun was watching Kid/Kaito as he spoke, making sure the party not on the phone heard and understood what was being said. Kid's face smiled impassively while Kaito's heart pounded in terror. "This is Shin'ichi. Is Kaito there? He's busy, you say?" Kudo-kun's eyebrow kicked up, punctuating his disbelief. Kid's smile pulled a bit wider—he could appreciate a good joke—but sweat dripped down Kaito's back. "No, no, don't get him. But when he's done could you ask him to meet me tomorrow? Six fifteen at the park. Yes, thank you. No, I'm certain he'll be able to make it. Thank you, Kuroba-obaasan. Good night." Kudo-kun closed the phone and tucked it back into his jacket. "There. Satisfied now?"

"For now, yes." Mischief was evident in Kid's tone. Kaito's heart rate slowed. "But I'll probably need to try again later."

Kudo-kun looked out over the city, looking for the first time since the encounter began at something other than the thief. "You can go now if you like." Kid turned to do so, but it was Kaito who stopped for the young detective's next words. "I'd better see you tomorrow, though." And Kudo-kun was looking at him again. "You owe it to me, Kuroba."

For the first time that night, Kid and Kaito were the same person. It was this person who smiled faintly, knowingly, this person who answered Kudo: "I know." And then Kaitou Kaito turned again and casually stepped off the roof. For a few seconds there was freefall; then his hang-glider caught in the air and he was soaring home, Kid and Kaito parting again on the wind.

---

Kudo was waiting for him when he reached the park, a scenario Kaito that had half expected. He still hesitated a moment before he could gather the courage to walk up to the young detective. Either Kudo would accept his reasons for being the Kid or he wouldn't. If he didn't it would make the game a bit more difficult, but Kaito wasn't going to give up without a fight. Most likely Kudo wouldn't leak the Kid's identity—it would have too many negative repercussions, not all of them legal—and would instead put special effort into catching the Kid. But if Kudo did accept his reasons… Well, there was no reason to get hopes up yet.

Kaito stopped a few feet away from Kudo. "Hi," he said awkwardly.

Kudo didn't frown but he didn't smile either. If Kaito had to put a name to his expression it would probably be 'expectant'. "Hello."

Kaito squirmed in the silence that followed Kudo's one-word greeting. He held out for approximately thirty-five seconds before the urge to speak became unbearable. "Look," he told Kudo, "I'm sorry about last night. Well, mostly anyway. It's just—"

"When did you find out?" Kudo interrupted.

Kaito blinked. "Um, about three years ago."

"When did you decide you were going to do this?"

"Right after I found out; why?"

Kudo ignored the question. "Does Nakamori-kun know?"

"Does Mouri-chan?" Kaito shot back, starting to feel irritated.

Kudo looked repentant for a moment before continuing to grill Kaito. "Do you know what your father was looking for?"

"I have a few leads, but—"

"Why are you doing this, anyway?"

Kaito finally snapped. "Because we haven't had a good lead in over two years and we had to do something! It may as well have been this, and it may as well have been me! I know it's not exactly legal, I know it's causing pain for people I care about, I know it's hypocritical to commit a crime to catch a criminal; I _know_. I won't say it wasn't fun, either, but it was still hard to convince myself to do it, even with three years to prepare myself for it. And don't tell me I should've let someone else take care of it. This whole case has been _ours._ We can't give it up to someone who wouldn't—wouldn't _care_ about it the same way we do.

"I have to do this, Kudo. And you don't have the right to stop me." Finished with his tirade, Kaito sagged, feeling deflated. Still, it was a relief to finally be able to say some of that after three years, to justify it out loud; he couldn't help being a little satisfied with himself.

Kudo held his posture for a few seconds before he too deflated. "…I figured it gout about four years ago," he confessed. Kaito's jaw dropped. "I was looking through some old files with Ran when I saw something about a robbery and it just… clicked."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kaito demanded, a little hurt.

Kudo smiled wanly. "I thought it would be better if you didn't know." He chuckled, though he didn't seem amused. "Fat lot of good it did me in the end, huh?"

It must have been hard, Kaito realized, for Kudo not to tell him. He must have been horribly conflicted, the desire to work together towards solving the case and putting the organization behind bars warring with guilt over his methods and fear of what Kaito might do when he found out. "Kudo..." The detective looked at him, and he almost felt bad for what he was about to ask. "…_Does_ Mouri-chan know?"

Kudo pondered this. "I never said anything to her about it, but there's no telling whether she figured it out on her own or not." Kaito nodded, filing the information away. "Does Nakamori-kun?"

"Yes," Kaito admitted. "I told her almost as soon as I found out. I know it must be hard on her, but she never complains about it."

Kaito took a seat on a low stone wall. Kudo hesitated a moment, then sat down beside him. "It used to worry me," he told Kudo, "what with her dad and her strong moral character and everything. One day I asked her why she did it; why she diecided to help me out when it might cost her her freedom, her relationship with her father or a million other things." Kaito smiled wryly at the memory. "She just gave me this look—you know, the 'what are you, nuts?' look—and told me straight out that 'she has a stake in this too, thank-you-very-much'." Kaito imitated Aoko's voice perfectly, and Kudo chuckled. "Now? Well, I still worry a little from time to time, but I don't feel like asking any more."

"Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind if I told Ran, would you?" Kudo asked.

Kaito blinked, not certain he'd heard right. "Pardon?"

"It's just," Kudo explained, "she'd kill me if I didn't let her help, too."

Kaito grinned at his friend. "I'd be insulted if you didn't." Kudo smiled back at him in earnest, and Kaito found himself thinking that maybe he could hope after all.

—End—

Responses appreciated.

Thanks very much to Summercloud for beta reading this part. Without her help it would be far inferior.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	9. On Belay

On Belay

By socchan

"Hey, Kudo? That you?"

"_Kuroba_?"

"Listen, I can't talk long, I've got a homework project I need to be working on. I've got a proposition for you: What say on Sunday, instead of doing our usual call-and-compare-notes thing, you drop by my place? And bring Mouri-chan, Aoko's been wanting to see her."

"I… _guess_ that's okay… What time?"

"I was thinking around one-thirty-ish."

"That would work."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

-----

Shin'ichi wasn't quite sure what to expect after the phone call. He didn't normally know what to expect with Kuroba, but he usually had a set of parameters he could go by. This, though, was completely unexpected.

No information, no questions, nothing but a call out of the blue inviting Ran and himself over to chat. They'd had similar meetings in the past, true, but this was the first one since the reappearance of the Kid. Shin'ichi had talked things over with Ran, but the four of them had yet to get together to work things out. His detective sense was saying something was up, but his Kaito sense—the vague perceptions he had developed in order to understand Kuroba, at least as well as anyone could—was telling him not to worry.

So Kuroba was up to something, but he shouldn't be worried about it? Shin'ichi couldn't help feeling like the target in a knife-thrower's act: his best option was to stand still and trust that Kuroba knew what he was doing, but it was damned hard.

Nakamori Aoko answered with a smile when he and Ran knocked on Kuroba's door that Sunday. "Good to see you, Ran-kun, Shin'ichi-kun. Come on it, Kaito's waiting." Still smiling, Nakamori-kun stepped inside and gestured for the two of them to follow.

Shin'ichi had been in Kuroba's house before; he knew what the kitchen looked like, where the bathroom was, knew which stair groaned when stepped on. He'd seen the den before, with its portrait of Kuroba Toichi hanging on the wall. He didn't see Kuroba there, though.

"Where's Kaito-kun?" Ran asked, glancing around.

Nakamori-kun, Shin'ichi reflected, wore her heart on her sleeve. You could easily tell what she was feeling just by looking at her face (unlike Kuroba, whose moods flickered far too quickly to be tracked). You could tell, for example, when she was happy, when she was sad, or when she was about to reach for a mop. Kuroba played beautifully to her moods, knowing just how far he could push a joke before it wasn't funny any more.

As she walked up to the portrait of the late Kuroba Toichi, Nakamori Aoko looked positively conspiratorial. She reached up and applied pressure to a particular place on the frame, and Shin'ichi's eyes widened as the painting became a doorway.

"That's incredible," he heard himself say. He'd leaned against that wall countless times, knew its resistance and the sounds it made when pushed against. Never had he noticed anything to suggest the wall was anything other than completely solid all the way across. "The feats of mechanics and engineering _alone_ involved—" Shin'ichi broke off, aware that he was being scrutinized by a pair of rather amused females.

Nakamori-kun took pity on him. "Kaito's just downstairs," she told them. "Would you like to go see?"

Cautiously, Ran a reassuring presence at his back, Shin'ichi followed Nakamori-kun through the entrance and down a staircase. Kuroba was situated at a table below them. A small portion of it directly in front of him had been cleared off, but almost none of the rest of the table's surface could be seen. Kuroba looked up and grinned as they approached.

"Hey, Kudo, Mouri-chan. Good to see you. What do you think?"

"This is where your father worked?" Ran asked. She looked around the room, wide-eyed. "He must have been a lot like you."

A moment of silence followed Ran's words, huge and echoing and heavy. Kuroba's smile looked like it hurt.

"I—I didn't mean to—" Ran stammered.

"No, it's alright," Kuroba interrupted. "It's why we're here, after all. And it's good to remember him this way."

He grinned suddenly, one that looked a lot less painful. "Anyway, I wanted to show you something." Kuroba rose to his feet and crossed the room. Shin'ichi, Ran and Nakamori-kun followed, gratefully seizing the change of topic.

Moving aside a series of large, cumbersome objects, Kuroba revealed a closet. Hanging up were a number of white tuxedos, two of which on more prominent display. "It was Aoko's idea, really; I just expanded on it." Kuroba said, by way of explanation. "With only one person playing the Kid, it's almost too easy to figure out his identity. Kudo and I are the same height, and I've padded some of the suits to make the wearer look more androgynous. I'm working on a voice-changing device right now, and I can teach you some disguise techniques." He glanced their way again, and his voice dropped. "I can understand if you don't want to do it. It's dangerous and addicting, and I don't think I need to go into what would happen, were any of us caught, but it's also safer this way. In addition to the advantages of one of us always having an alibi, the police would have a harder time anticipating the Kid's actions. If we do it right, no one should be able to tell that the Kid isn't just one person. It'll be difficult, but if you're up to it…" Kuroba trailed off, waiting for an answer.

Shin'ichi and Ran traded glances. Shin'ichi quirked an eyebrow; Ran nodded, invisibly.

Shin'ichi looked back at Kuroba, who was waiting expectantly. "Okay," Shin'ichi said, "We're in."

—End—

Title comes from the rope that mountain climbers use to prevent falling too far as they go along, called a belay. When hooking up, you say 'on belay', and the person on the other end says 'belay on'.

Many thanks to Summercloud for beta reading.

Feedback appreciated.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	10. Complications

Complications

_What the hell _was_ that? Where did it come from? Where did it _go_? What is she up to, anyway? And… how the hell did she _do_ that…?_

Questions swam lazily through Kaito's mind as he dragged himself back to the workshop. Answers stumbled through after, uncoordinated and bumping into each other. They didn't make any sense either, for the most part. Magic? Real magic, not just parlor tricks? Preposterous! Kaito brushed his monocle off and lifted away his top hat. On the other hand, what other explanation did he have?

"You're late."

Kaito blinked and took stock of his surroundings. Kudo sat at the bench beside the worktable, already changed into street clothes, face unreadable. Kaito shrugged the statement off, peeling pristine white gloves from his fingers. "Yeah, well, I got a bit side tracked. Where're Aoko and Mouri-chan?"

"They're having a 'sleepover' at Nakamori-kun's house," Kudo replied casually. Kaito nodded absently, walking over to a small changing cubicle he'd set up while undoing buttons. Sleepover was code for listening in on the police frequencies and radioing back and forth with whoever wasn't 'active' so they could look things up. "You gave them a bit of a scare," Kudo continued.

"But not you?" Kaito inquired, fumbling with the tie.

Kudo snorted. "I didn't have _time_ to be scared. Once I figured out you were gone it was 'go in, grand finale, get out'. Being scared meant stopping to think about things."

"Of course," Kaito said wryly.

This had only been the second time Kudo had played the Kid. Though he'd been on stand-by for a few heists now, Kaito didn't like the idea of giving him solo—or even spotlight—missions until he finished up his basic training. If it were just ordinary theft, Kudo would probably have no trouble pulling heists off. Even with the acrobatics thrown in Kaito suspected Kudo would pull things off beautifully, and he was deadly accurate with the card gun. Unfortunately, he still didn't know sleight of hand very well, though at the rate he learned it was just a matter of time.

"So what happened out there, anyway?"

Kaito smiled to himself at the question. That was Kudo through and through; impossible to sidetrack when he wanted to know something. "I got distracted by something," Kaito half-answered.

"During a _heist_?" The words dripped with skepticism, and Kaito's grin widened. He decided to switch topics.

"Hey Kudo, do you believe in magic?"

"Magic? Like what you do?"

_Ah,_ Kaito thought, _he's in full Detective Mode now._ "No, I mean the real thing." Kaito buttoned up a shirt.

"I couldn't say." Kudo said after a pause. "It seems childish, really, but considering what we're looking for…" He trailed off, not needing to answer. Kaito nodded, even though Kudo wouldn't be able to see it. "You?"

Stepping out of the cubicle, Kaito shook his head. "I don't know. Sometimes yes and sometimes no, I guess." He stuck his hands in his pockets, looking over the paraphernalia in the hidden room. His smile tilted wryly as the events of the night drifted through his mind. "Right now I'm pretty sure it's 'yes'."

Akako lay awake late into the night, long after her encounter with the Kaitou Kid—_a_ Kaitou Kid, she reminded herself—lost in thought. The bedclothes were tangled from tossing and turning, but now Akako was motionless, staring upward as the event replayed itself over and over.

_"Sleight of hand may not be as real as sorcery, but the audience likes it…"_

_"It's too bad that you have to rely on magic to get what you want."_

_"I don't think you're giving your feelings enough credit."_

_"I'm sorry but I can't serve you. I have something I need to find."_

She felt hurt. Kuroba Kaito was the first man ever to reject her. To add insult to injury, Kaitou Kid was the first person to overcome her magic. Akako's self-esteem had been left in shambles.

Perhaps she deserved it.

_No. No, I can't think like that,_ Akako told herself, feeling tears prick at her eyes.

"I know who you are," she had told the Kid. "You real identity—who you are under your disguise."

Kid, half curled around himself from pain, had looked up at her and smiled. "Really?" he asked, calmly. "Which one?"

Distraught and confused, Akako turned to her side. Clutching the Kaitou Kid doll from the ritual close to her heart, she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to claim her.

—Fin—

Apologies for the really long wait in between updates. I swear to whatever deity you may or may not believe in that I will be updating this again next week.

Innumerable thanks to Summercloud for the beta read.

Quotes from the second half altered from text in the Magic Kaito manga.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	11. Partnership

Partnership

By socchan

Japan still wasn't quite home to Hakuba Saguru. He'd been there a few months, spoke the language, had finally started school and was meeting people his own age. He'd even found an adversary of sorts in the form of the Kaitou Kid. Still, Saguru couldn't help feeling a bit out of place. He missed London. Many times he found himself still thinking in English.

That was his excuse at least when, upon nearly running into someone in his haste to catch up with the Kid, he found himself swearing in the tongue more familiar to him. Turning to apologize, Saguru was caught off guard when the stranger spoke first.

"Are you alright?" Saguru blinked at the speaker. He was somewhat taller than Saguru, dark hair spiking out from under a backwards-turned baseball cap. Green eyes sparkled against tanned skin.

_Perfect English,_ Saguru mused. Between that and the boy's eyes, Saguru began to wonder if he actually wasn't Japanese. "I'm fine, thank you," he replied, still in English. "Though my dignity is a bit wounded."

The teen chuckled, and Saguru began to warm to him. "So what's all the excitement about?"

Saguru shrugged a shoulder. "Are you, by any chance, familiar with Kid the Phantom Thief?"

Raised eyebrows. "A little. I thought he wasn't around any more."

"He seems to have made a come back." Saguru gazed down the hallway, then sighed. "He made arrangements to steal a gem on display here tonight. I attempted to stop him, but was locked in the basement for my trouble. I've only just gotten free and was hoping for another chance to catch him, but the heist is probably over by now."

"Ah." His companion nodded in sympathy.

Saguru turned to address him. "Pardon my rudeness; I believe I've forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Saguru Hakuba, and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

White teeth flashed in a grin. "Heiji Hattori, likewise." Heiji held out a hand. Pleased, Saguru shook it. _A Japanese name, _he thought, _though that doesn't necessarily make him Japanese._

"I must admit," Heiji continued, "Kid heists look to be a welcome change from the kind of thing I specialize in."

"Oh?" Saguru inquired. "What sort of thing do you usually do?"

Another grin, fiercer this time. "Murder mysteries."

Saguru nodded, understanding. "I did that for a while myself before I went up against the Kid. The heists are indeed a nice change."

Heiji looked about to reply but was interrupted by a shout.

"Hakuba-kun!" A harried looking task force member came running up. He stopped and panted a few seconds upon reaching the two of them. "I see you're okay," he said in Japanese.

"Yes," Saguru replied, switching languages. "The Kid?"

"He escaped." The officer told him, forlornly. "_With_ the gem."

Saguru nodded, not really surprised. "I see. A pity, that." At least Saguru would have another chance to catch the thief.

The officer straightened. "I'd better get back to work. Take care, Hakuba-kun."

"You as well." Saguru watched the man jog off for a moment before looking back toward Heiji. Heiji seemed amused.

"Ya didn't say ya knew Japanese," he accused mildly, Kansai dialect coloring his speech.

Saguru shrugged. "Neither did you."

Heiji chuckled. "Ya got me there. 'Course, a good detective doesn't reveal everythin' 'til he's ready."

"Well put." A clock chimed, and Saguru looked up to see one hanging on the wall beside them. Silently, he counted the tones, wincing when they stopped. Thieves and their late hours…

"Is that really th' time?" Heiji asked with a frown.

Saguru glanced at his watch to confirm it. "I'm afraid so,"

Heiji cursed colorfully. "I'm late. Kazuha's gonna kill me." He hurried toward the door, then paused and looked back over his shoulder. "It was good ta meet ya, Saguru-kun,"

Saguru smiled. "The pleasure was mine, Heiji-kun. Perhaps we'll meet again some time."

Heiji grinned. "Ya never know. If the Kid ever drops by Osaka, I'll keep an eye out fer ya." With that, Heiji began running in earnest toward the door.

Saguru watched him go before heading off to join Inspector Nakamori and the Kaitou Kid task force. Oddly, even with both the Kid and the gem gone, the night felt like a success.

* * *

Kudo cursed fluidly at Kaito. "What the hell was up with that British guy? I had to work at least three times as hard against him as I did against any of the police."

"Better not let Aoko hear you say that," Kaito remarked absently. He turned a large gem over in his hands. Kudo grunted at him in reply. "His name's Hakuba Saguru," Kaito added a moment later. "He's the son of some high ranking police official or other. That's why they let him chase the Kid."

Kudo stared at him, slack-jawed. "Just how do you know that?"

Kaito grinned. "He's in our class. Tried to make a move on Aoko, too."

"...You don't say."

"Yeah. She said she wasn't interested, though."

"Hmm." Kudo nodded, obviously not saying something. Kaito ignored it and squinted to see the moon through the jewel. "This it?" Kudo asked.

Kaito shook his head. "Nope. No red, no glow, no 'tears'. We've got a negative."

"We'll find it sooner or later," Kudo said sympathetically.

"I know," Kaito told him. "I'm just worried about what might happen if it's 'later.'"

—End—

Many thanks to Summercloud for the beta-read.

More coming.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	12. Lab Rat

Communications

Lab Rat

By socchan

Miyano Shiho regarded the caged rodent impassively. Nonplussed, white lab mouse 41-B (female) stared back. Letting the cuff of her rubber glove snap against her skin, Shiho reached into the cage.

41-B squirmed in her hand as she pulled it out. _Calm down_, she didn't tell it; she had been informed shortly after starting work that there was to be no speaking in the laboratories. Any notes she needed could be written and the animals wouldn't understand her anyway. Of course, if she was mentally unfit for the task, she could be let go. It was the knowledge that no one living was ever released from this deep in the Black Organization that kept her mouth closed.

Shiho stroked the mouse along its spine with a latex-covered finger, trying to get it to relax. Once it was no longer trying to gnaw through her hand, she began taking notes.

She was halfway through the form before she realized something was odd. 41-B was oddly energetic for that time of day, and her pink eyes were wide and clear. Her hair was glossy and even, and her whiskers were in unusually good shape. Even her tail was a more vibrant color. Setting 41-B in a holding tank, Shiho went to examine the rodent's cage.

In a separate corner of the cage from 41-B's nest a slight indentation had formed. In addition, the bedding in that area was slightly irregular—shriveled into odd shapes and stuck together in lumps, as if it had been given a quick steam treatment. The rodent's leavings seemed regular enough, though Shiho couldn't be positive without extensive labwork. 41-B's food tray was empty, though her file noted that the previous day almost half of the food had remained.

Shiho's heartbeat quickened. The substance they had started the mouse on—number 4869—might be what the Organization was looking for. Shiho was realistic; she knew her chances of ever being allowed to live a normal life again were slim, but perhaps she could be moved to a less unseemly project, or the number of people set to watch her sister would be reduced.

Shiho did not rush through the remaining tests; rushing might cause mistakes. She did work with the utmost efficiency, though, and ended with a quarter of an hour before she needed to run the results by her supervisor. Gathering her records, Shiho left to wait outside the meeting room.

The previous meeting hadn't ended when Shiho reached the office. Voices drifted through the door as she leaned against the wall to wait.

A woman spoke, her voice smooth, heady and disorienting. "So you've found a place for the elder Miyano girl?"

"Yes," A man's voice this time, tones strong and simple, blunt-edged. "She's been put on the bank thing with the giant and the taxi driver."

"Excellent." The woman again. "You'll be able to keep an eye on her?"

"Don't worry about it," Another man, his voice harsh and violent, dizzying like a blow to the head. "She'll be in good hands."

"Very good. And the Kudo situation?"

"The writer and his wife are out of the country, and should be for some time," The first man again. "They won't be much trouble. The boy, though, is causing a few problems."

"I see. Do something about him if you find it convenient. Otherwise, ignore him."

The blood pounding in Shiho's ears drowned out the rest. For a moment, the world faded and she could clearly predict the consequences of her actions. She could almost picture the hundereds of people the Black Organization would kill with the drugs she had worked to create, the damage they could wreak on civilization with even a few more years on each life. Clearly nothing could be done to save Akemi at the time being, but perhaps there were others she could save.

With renewed determination, Shiho pushed herself away from the wall and walked very quickly back to the lab. Pulling on a new pair of gloves, she reached again into mouse 41-B's cage. _I'm sorry_, she didn't say as she injected an anaesthetic into its blood. When the mouse stopped moving, Shiho dumped it into the incinerator and cleaned its cage out. With a practiced hand, Shiho altered the notes she had taken to reflect the changed effects of substance 4869 on specimen 41-B.

Shiho ended up late to her meeting.

—End—

Thanks to Summercloud for the beta-read.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	13. Changes

Communications

Changes

By socchan

Ran realized too late that it had been a mistake to let Shin'ichi go off on his own. He had gone nearly an hour ago, after solving one of the many murder mysteries that cropped up around him, to trail a pair of men dressed in black. Ran had remained behind to tie up loose ends with the police.

She had known at the time that it was a risky move, and damned if Shin'ichi hadn't known it as well, but they were starting to get desperate anyway. For all that they had worked on chasing the organization for the past eight years, they hadn't achieved much. Even the revival of the Kaitou Kid was only beginning to catch the attention of the crime syndicate.

Ten minutes ago, though, Ran's heart had begun to beat faster. With the knowledge that something was seriously wrong, she ran in the direction she had seen Shin'ichi go, fear making her feet go faster.

She arrived in the alley behind Tropic Land just in time to see the tail end of a black coat whip around a fence and out of sight. On the ground were two bodies—one of which was Shin'ichi.

Later she would be happy that she hadn't screamed and alerted the men who had done this to Shin'ichi, but at the time all she could think of was that her best friend for as long as she could remember—maybe someday something more—was lying on the ground, unmoving.

Somehow she made it to his side. Only when she found he was still breathing did she look over to the other man. From what she could see, there was almost certainly too much blood for him to still be alive, but it would be best if she checked. Ran was about to stand when Shin'ichi groaned beside her. Instantly her attention shifted back to him.

Ran watched in rapt horror as Shin'ichi cringed and broke out into a sweat. Unsure what to do, she rested one trembling hand on his shoulder and brushed his bangs away from his forehead with the other. Shin'ichi shivered beneath her touch.

After a matter of seconds, Shin'ichi began to convulse in pain, and bitter-smelling vapors began rising from his skin. Ran stayed next to him, partly afraid that he would die if she moved. Her eyes widened as his form began to shrink, and she swallowed, afraid to scream.

A few minutes later, it had ended. Shin'ichi lay beside her, the size of a child, swamped in his old clothes. Afraid to breathe, Ran felt his forehead, searching for a fever; she breathed a sigh of relief when she found none.

Weakly, Shin'ichi opened his eyes. "…ran…?"

Ran's vision blurred, and she blinked unexpected tears away. "Yes, Shin'ichi?"

He smiled weakly at her, and then reached up with a trembling hand to clutch at her shirt. "kuroba… take me to kuroba." Shin'ichi's hand dropped and he stilled.

Clutching Shin'ichi in her arms, Ran rose to her feet. She would make the organization pay for doing this to Shin'ichi, and she would take it in blood.

—Fin—

Thanks very much to Summercloud for the beta-read. Those of you looking for a good read are advised to stop by her ff-dot-net profile and check out _Trust_; it's very good, though a bit on the angsty side.

Comments and criticism welcome, though if you have a question, you're better off approaching me through my LiveJournal (anonymous comments are enabled).

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	14. Poco a Poco

Communications

Poco a Poco

by socchan

To say that Kaito was surprised to find a shaken Ran with a rather small armful of unconscious Kudo at his door would have been an understatement. It wasn't the time for surprise, though, so he swallowed, blinked, and ushered the two of them in. "I'll meet you in the back room," he whispered, and shut the door behind them.

It was late enough that Kaito's mother was already in bed, and for that Kaito was grateful. If she didn't already know, he didn't want her dragged into this mess. He didn't want her to know that there were people who hated her husband enough to kill him, and that they might be coming after her son as well. If she did know, there was little he could do about it, but he could at least do her the favor of keeping things low profile.

Before going to join Ran, Kaito swung by the kitchen and put a kettle of water on the stove. As the water heated, he picked up the phone and dialed Aoko's cell.

Aoko picked up after two rings. "This better be good,"

Kaito smiled warmly at the psuedo-greeting; same old Aoko. "Aoko? This is Kaito. Ran-kun is over, and she's got Kudo with her." The smile slipped from Kaito's face as he considered what he had seen. "Something's… happened."

Aoko paused before saying, "I'll be right over," and hanging up.

Kaito stared a moment at the receiver, then hung up as well. By that time the kettle had just begun to sing. Kaito took it off the stove with one hand, and balanced four cups, the sugar dish, and the cream pitcher in the other, then made his way to the den.

"I made tea," he said as he descended the stairs behind his father's portrait.

Ran smiled weakly up at him, and Kaito could see how this was wearing on her. "Thank you," she said softly, then turned her attention back to Kudo.

The detective was laid out over a row of chairs, his oversized jacket draped over him. Ran was sitting in another chair perpendicular to him, toying absently with his hair and brushing her fingers over his forehead. At any other time, Kaito would have thought it was insanely cute; at the moment, though, it only served to worry him.

Using his foot, Kaito dragged a card table up next to them and set the tea supplies down before getting a chair for himself. Silently, he poured tea for himself and Ran, leaving two cups empty for Aoko and Kudo.

Aoko arrived minutes later, and Kaito waved to her as she descended the stairs. Kaito set aside his cup as she pulled a chair up to the table and focused on Ran. In what he hoped was a soothing tone he asked, "Could you tell us what happened?"

Ran dragged her eyes reluctantly from. Kaito and Aoko listened attentively, now and again interrupting to ask questions. When she had finished, Kaito sat back in his chair.

"Well," he said, "That complicates things a bit." He sighed. "Okay, let's work with the assumption that this isn't just going to wear off in an hour. The first thing we'll need is an alibi for Kudo." He glanced to his companions; Kudo was still unconscious, and Ran seemed to be on the verge of coming out of shock—not that Kaito could blame her. He was more than a little out of sorts himself. Thankfully, Aoko leapt to the occasion.

"Well, Shin'ichi-kun is always solving mysteries," she said thoughtfully. "Maybe we could say that he's helping the police on a big case somewhere?"

Kaito nodded, a plan starting to come together in his mind. "That should work. He has an excuse to be out of town whenever someone is looking for him, and people won't go poking their noses in if they think it's police business. Well, most people won't, anyway." Kaito fiddled with his teacup thoughtfully. "Next question: where's he going to stay? He can't stay at his own house—the organization might get suspicious—but I don't want him on the streets, either. We can't exactly tell anyone where he came from, and I wouldn't want to put him with someone we don't know anyway. That doesn't leave many options." He worried his lower lip for a moment then glanced at Ran. "Do you think you could take him in, Ran-kun? You could say he was a distant relative of Kudo's or something, and Kudo's parents asked you to watch him while Kudo's busy and they're… out of town."

Ran nodded slowly, her fingers tangled in Kudo's hair. "I think that would work, yes," she told him. She still sounded anxious, but also contemplative, which Kaito took as a sign that she was feeling better.

"Okay. The last thing we'll need, then, is a new identity for Kudo."

Aoko frowned thoughtfully. "He'll definitely need a disguise. The age difference won't be enough to protect his identity. A hair cut, maybe?"

"At least," Kaito smiled to himself, liking the idea. Things were starting to look up. "We should probably look into dye jobs, too. What do you think, Ran-kun?" he teased, "Would Kudo make a good blonde?"

Ran rolled her eyes. "A haircut should be enough, Kaito-kun. Though a slight color change wouldn't hurt. And possibly glasses, maybe with color contacts to disguise his eye color."

Kaito nodded, grinning. Ran was almost back to normal now. "All we have left to pick out is his name."

"…Conan," a slightly rusty young voice said. Kaito's eyes widened and locked on Kudo as he pushed himself stiffly to a sitting position. There was a familiar glint in his eyes, and Kaito was reminded of a boy who visited him over eight years ago and told him that his father had not died on accident. Aoko was grinning widely, and Ran looked on the verge of tears. Kudo's lips turned up in a weary smile, and Kaito smiled back at him. "Edogawa Conan, detective."

—Fin—

Happy one year anniversary to Communications!

Poco a poco is a musical term, meaning "little by little."

Thanks very much to my beta reader, Summercloud.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	15. Three Times Conspiracy

Three Times Conspiracy

"Oh, crud!"

Kazuha swiveled her head toward her friend. "Heiji?"

Heiji glanced at her from where he was shoveling papers into his backpack. "It's almost three-thirty," he explained, "Kid's got a job in Ekoda tonight, an' if I want ta get there on time, I have ta go _now_." He frowned guiltily and paused. "Do ya think ya could finish cleanin' up here?" he pleaded.

Kazuha scowled. "What's so great about that Kaitou Kid anyway? He's just some thief."

"Yeah, just some thief the police've been chasin' for over a decade now!" Heiji retorted. "Anyway, I promised Saguru I'd be there. Please could ya finish things up for me?"

Kazuha relented. "Fine, go chase your stupid thief, see if I care." _Why can't he ever pay this much attention ta me?_ She thought, a little hurt. _All he ever talks about these days is murder mysteries, the Kaitou Kid an' that Saguru person._

"Thanks, Kazuha!" Heiji smiled manically and made his way to the door. "I'll make it up ta ya, I swear!"

"You better," Kazuha grumbled as he left, somewhat mollified. With a heavy sigh she flopped down at a desk and filled out the cleaning log.

* * *

At eight forty-five Heiji elbowed his way through the already sizeable crowd to where Saguru stood. "Saguru-kun," he said and switched to English. "Has it started yet?"

Smiling faintly, Saguru shook his head. "No, there's still some time left. Glad you made it, Heiji."

Heiji chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, well, it was a near thing." Heiji was fond of Saguru. He was a good friend, even if he was a little stiff at times. He didn't have many friends in Japan, which puzzled Heiji but didn't seem to bother the other boy, so he ignored it for the most part. Still, Heiji thought he seemed lonely at times, so he tried to make it to as many heists as he could.

"So, which one do you think it'll be this time?" Heiji asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

Saguru lifted a shoulder in a distracted shrug. It had been Saguru who first suggested the idea of the Kid sporting multiple secret identities, something he had come up with after noticing discrepancies in the thief's body language. "Probably the same as last time. The girl never did many in the first place, that third one seems to have vanished off the face of the earth, and if the original shows up after disappearing for eight years, I'll stir-fry my Inverness coat."

Heiji sniggered. "Any theories yet on where the third one got to?"

Saguru shook his head. "No, but I'm starting to think the first one worked with an accomplice as well. I don't care who you are, flight schedules just aren't that regular, especially international ones."

"And you would know, right?" Heiji jibed. Saguru snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Oh wow, it's starting!" someone behind them yelled. As if on cue, pink smoke flooded the roof of the building. Heiji frowned and looked back over his shoulder; there stood a small boy with glasses who had somehow pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

"Heiji?" Saguru asked, then switched to Japanese. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Heiji answered uncertainly. "I'm pretty sure it's nothing." He turned to pay attention to the heist again, waiting for a moment to catch the Kid off-guard.

"Look out, Kid-san!" the boy yelled, and the Kid ducked out of a police officer's grasp.

Heiji's head snapped back to stare at the boy again. His face was strangely intense for a child. Almost familiar, too; had Heiji seen him before?

"Heiji-kun?" Saguru queried. "Are you certain everything is alright?"

Heiji's face shifted strangely. "I—" he started to say, but was interrupted.

"No, not that way!" the boy in the crowd scolded.

_Once is chance,_ Heiji thought, closing his mouth, _and twice is coincidence, but three times is conspiracy._ Still, a _child_ assisting the Kaitou Kid? "Yeah," he heard himself say, "Yeah, I'm sure." _Something's not right here, _he thought.

"Kid-san! Behind you!"

_And I'm going to find out what._

—End—

Notes on Heiji and Hakuba's conversation: The 'third' to which they refer is Shin'ichi. First is the original Kid, Kaito's father, second is Kaito. As to how he can tell that at least one of the Kid's identities is female, part of it is body language and part of it is proportion. I don't care how well you padded your suit, there's no arguing with bone length ratios.

The title and the line 'once is chance (etc)' came from my beta reader, Summercloud. Numerous thanks to her for this and the work she hasdone going over this fic.

Sorry this is so late; I'll try and have the next part up soon.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	16. Red Witch

Red Witch

At first, the Hirota Masami case seemed like any other: just a girl searching for her last living relative through the aid of a private detective, nothing special. Soon the case grew, though, and Shin'ichi began recognizing familiar signs suggesting the mysterious organization at work. Tensions mounted and conflicting information came to light, and soon the case was almost beyond control. As a last resort Shin'ichi tagged Masami with a tracking device that Kuroba had been working on.

He was glad for it later when Hirota Kenzo, the girl's supposed father, was found dead and Masami herself vanished. Unfortunately, the case was up to two murders and a billion yen before Conan and Ran could slip away from Kogoro to find her. They caught up to her in an old shipping yard. Shin'ichi signaled for Ran to slow when he heard voices.

"So, let's see the money."

Shin'ichi's breath caught in his throat and his blood ran cold. He knew that voice. He had been expecting to run into members of the organization sooner or later in this case, but _this_ one… Heart pounding in his ears, he peeked around a stack of crates. There stood Masami, facing off against the same members of the organization that had poisoned Shin'ichi.

"It isn't here," Masami said, interrupting Shin'ichi's train of thought. "I left it someplace safe."

"What!" Shin'ichi winced; the man sounded furious. Ran shifted beside him to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Before that, I want to know about my sister," Masami continued. "You made a promise; you said you'd let the two of us out of the organization when this job was over. Bring her here and I'll tell you where I hid the money."

The tall man chuckled. "We can't possibly allow one of our most valuable scientists to leave the organization. Unlike you, she is indispensable."

The betrayal in Masami's voice was palpable. "From the beginning, you—!"

"This is your last chance," the man threatened. "Tell us where the money is."

"You're being stupid," Masami retorted, confidence returning. "You'll never find it if you kill me."

"You're the stupid one," the tall man told her. "Our guesses are getting closer to the mark." There was a pause and a horrified gasp. "I warned you, didn't I? That was your last chance."

A gunshot split the air. Ran tensed beside Shin'ichi, but he held up a hand to prevent her from running to Masami. "Not until they're gone," he hissed. Ran scowled, but stayed put. When the footsteps of the two men faded into the distance, Ran and Shin'ichi rushed forward. Ran cried out when the woman collapsed.

"Masami-san! Don't worry, we'll call an ambulance—!"

Masami shook her head. "Don't bother," she said weakly. "You'll never save me."

Ran shook her head. "Don't speak, Masami-san; your wound—"

Masami interrupted Ran by coughing viciously and spitting blood onto the pavement. Shin'ichi winced; the bullet had probably pierced her lung—there really wasn't much hope. Still, there had to be something he could do! "Masami-san," he said, "could you tell us where the money is?"

Masami blinked at him. "I left it at the front desk of the hotel."

Shin'ichi nodded firmly. "Good. Ran, call in an anonymous tip about the money. I'm going to see what I can do to help Masami-san." Ran nodded and they began digging out their cell phones.

"…You're that kid from the detective agency," Masami whispered.

Shin'ichi paused, fingers hovering over the keypad. "Yes."

"How did you find me?"

Shin'ichi's eyes slid downward to the phone. "I stuck a tracking device on your watch," he explained. "We followed it to the hotel and tracked you here with it once you left."

Her eyes widened. "Who… who _are_ you?"

He smiled wryly and finished dialing. "Edogawa Co—" he replied automatically, then corrected himself. "No. Kudo Shin'ichi, detective."

He was grateful when the phone was answered, saving him from speaking. "Hello—"

"Kuroba, it's me," Shin'ichi cut in.

"Kudo?" Kuroba exclaimed. "What—"

Shin'ichi interrupted him again. "Kuroba, I'm calling in a favor."

There was a heartbeat of tense silence. "Alright. What do you need?"

Relieved, Shin'ichi began to explain.

-----

Akako was stunned speechless when she answered the door to find an out-of-breath Kuroba Kaito. It wasn't so much that that he was visiting; it was more that Akako openly suspected him of being one of the Kaitou Kid's civilian identities and was only recently getting over a habit of interfering with heists in hopes of backing him into a corner. What he said when he saw her confused her more. "Koizumi-san, I need your help."

She frowned. "What do you need my help for?" Considering some of their past encounters, it surprised her that he would be asking her for assistance.

Kaito forced a weary smile. "I'm going to need to get across town to a shipping yard in a hurry. After that…" He trailed off, uncertainty making his expression waver before resolve hardened it. "I know you have… special talents you can use," he told her bluntly. "I don't know how good you are at healing, but there's someone there who really needs it. If you can save her…" he trailed off and stared imploringly into Akako's eyes.

Akako's head swam. Kaito had essentially confirmed her suspicions about his unusual hobbies, because there was no way that anyone but the Kaitou Kid knew that she practiced sorcery. For him to compromise one of the Kid's identities when she might not even be able to help… this must be an important task indeed. "Wait right here," she told him, "I'll get my broom."

Kaito sagged in relief. "Thank you."

Akako flashed a small smile at him over her shoulder. "I probably owe it to you anyway," she replied, then ducked inside.

Less than a minute later they were in the sky.

-----

After about ten minutes Kaito pointed out their destination and they descended. Once they were on the ground Kaito ran to a small boy with large glasses; Akako recognized the child from recent Kid heists, but didn't allow herself to be distracted. She had a job to do. Looking around, Akako spotted a young woman lying on the ground, bleeding profusely and breathing in gasps. A brown-haired girl about Akako's age was kneeling over her, holding her hand and murmuring comfortingly. That, Akako realized, must be what she was there for.

Akako strode purposefully to where the wounded woman lay and knelt beside her. She smiled reassuringly at the girl across the woman's body from her and said, "Don't worry, I'm here to help." Akako's hand shook from anxiety when she placed it over the woman's heart. Trying to calm herself, she closed her eyes and got to work.

Healing was some of the most difficult magic to perform. It required intense concentration, patience, and for anything more than a minor cut or bruise, familiarity with the human body. Other costs usually depended on the severity of the wound.

Akako was not an expert on healing, but she knew the basics and could patch more serious wounds until some other form of help arrived. She'd made a point to study it when she was younger, but she gave up training in it seriously when she found her talents lay more in the 'dark' end of the spectrum. Now she wished she had studied it a bit longer.

A hand clutched at Akako's sleeve, interrupting her train of thought. Akako had to force herself to keep her eyes closed so she wouldn't break completely out of her trance. "My sister…" a voice mumbled from near Akako's elbow, gurgling slightly. "My sister, Shiho… She's still trapped…"

"Hush, Masami-san," said another voice, this one closer to Akako's head. _The girl,_ Akako thought. "Don't talk, please."

The woman tried again. "Help her, please." The woman broke off, coughing, and the girl murmured soothingly to her.

Akako pushed the thoughts from her mind. Now wasn't the time for distractions. Voices faded into the background as she sank back into her magic.

Akako held back a hiss of sympathy when she found out how badly the woman was injured; feeling her pain wouldn't get any work done. Instead she blocked out the rest of the world and sank deeper into the magic. Slowly she began to heal.

The first thing she did was put the woman under. Satisfied that her patient would remain unconscious until the process was over, Akako gave her natural painkillers a boost and turned her attention to the woman's lungs.

There wasn't much fluid in them but it didn't take a lot to drown a human. Slapping a temporary patch over the hole, Akako painstakingly drew out the liquid. The woman expelled it with an involuntary cough. Satisfied, Akako began to rebuild the damaged lung tissue.

She didn't spend long replacing bronchial tubes before she moved on; there wouldn't be much point in healing the woman if she only bled to death. As soon as she'd gotten a basic plug in place and stimulated growth she moved on to the surrounding area. She skipped over bruised ribs in favor of repairing muscle and growing skin over the openings in the woman's flesh. When she felt she had done all she could, Akako pulled herself out of the magic and opened her eyes. Kaito, the boy with glasses and the brown-haired girl were watching her silently.

"She's stable," Akako told them, wiping sweat from her brow. "I've closed her wounds and patched her lung, but the tissue's still weak. She's also lost a lot of blood, and her ribs are bruised. She's going to need a lot of rest before she can get back on her feet, but she'll live." She shook her head. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

"No," the boy told her, "you've been very helpful. Thank you, Koizumi-san."

Akako was startled by the boy's usage of adult tones and body language. There was something off about him. For a moment, she saw a worried young man standing in place of the small boy. When she blinked the image vanished, and she blamed it on exhaustion. "Of course," she answered him automatically.

Kaito carried the woman to his house, Akako and the other two following. Akako leaned heavily on the girl, drained from the heavy use of magic, and the boy with glasses carried her broom. The girl—Ran, she found out—made quiet introductions as they walked and explained the situation a little bit, though she left out quite a few details. Akako listened quietly, piecing the story together in her mind.

They finally settled in a hidden basement in Kaito's house. Akako sank gratefully into a chair and watched as Kaito laid Masami down on a couch. All around the room were magician's props and Kaitou Kid gear; this was, she realized, the Kid's base of operations.

At the same time she thought that this might be it; this might be the only time she would ever see this, the only time she would ever be able to help Kaito instead of challenging him. She found she didn't want that. She didn't want to go back to being Kaito's enemy, to taunting him during heists and making veiled comments about the Kid when she saw him at school. Desperate to change things, Akako caught Kaito's arm when he walked past her.

"I… What are you going to do now?" she asked. "About me, I mean."

Kaito's face was carefully blank. "I don't know, Koizumi-san," he said at last, his tone unreadable. "What do you want me to do?"

Akako stared at Masami for a long moment, watched Ran and the boy (Conan?) fuss over her. Finally she looked Kaito in the eye and said, "I want to help."

Kaito's eyes softened and he smiled faintly. "That, Koizumi-san, I can arrange." Then his grin turned downright wicked.

"Welcome to the team, Koizumi-san."

—Fin—

The title is a pun on Akako's name (Red/Crimson child) and RPGs, in which Red Mages are the ones that use both white and black magic.

Medical disclaimer: I know essentially nothing about punctured lungs, so please forgive me if I've screwed anything up too badly. I do remember hearing once that a human could drown from only a tablespoon of liquid in their lungs, but for all I know, that's wrong too. In short, take everything here with a grain of salt please, and do correct me if I'm wrong.

Endless thanks to my beta reader, Summercloud.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	17. Absolution

Communications

Absolution

by socchan

It had been nearly a week since the papers announced the recovery of two billion yen from a robbery, and Shiho still hadn't heard from her sister. Her superiors weren't talking, either. She suspected it was either because they didn't know what had happened to her sister, or, more likely, they were still thinking of a way to tell her that didn't put the organization in a bad light. She only continued to work for the organization in the rapidly diminishing hope that her sister had escaped.

"So, what happened to the Miyano bitch?"

Shiho's breath caught in her throat; the break room wasn't normally monitored, so the organization's members tended to speak more openly there. With no one to interfere, Shiho might finally hear news of her sister. Heart beating wildly, she pressed herself against the wall next to the door to listen.

"Her?" The second speaker snorted in distain. "She was a waste of time."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Wouldn't open up about where the money was. Determined to 'save her sister', or some shit like that." Shiho's heart clenched. _Akemi, you idiot,_ she thought fiercely. _I told you not to worry about me! _"I gave her a couple of chances," the man continued, "but she wouldn't budge. Had to do her in."

The first man snorted. "Like you really hated it."

His companion laughed darkly at this, and Shiho slipped away from the door, not wanting to hear any more.

_How could they,_ she thought, her heart choked with grief and anger. _How could they! They promised me she would be safe! They said they wouldn't hurt her!_ Shiho threw open the door to her lab. _She was all I had left in the world, and they took her from me!_ She leaned against a table, one hand gripping the edge for balance, knuckles whitening. The other hand covered her mouth, sealing in sobs. Worse than the grief she felt over her sister's death was the thought that she had almost expected this to happen: that it was, in a way, her fault. She had known the Black Organization played dirty, and she'd chosen to believe them anyway when they told her they would keep her sister safe.

Desperate for something to distract herself with, she looked around the lab. Her gaze hardened at what she saw. All these drugs, these poisons and elixirs that she had made, all going to help the organization that had killed her sister; the organization Akemi had died trying to save her from.

Shiho was suddenly overwhelmed by disgust and anger: over what she had done, and who she had become. She turned on the table she had been leaning against and flipped it over, scattering papers and spilling chemicals. The Black Organization would be sure to punish her harshly for this, but she was beyond caring. She attacked the room in a fit of rage, overturning more tables and opening specimen cages. _Run,_ she urged the animals silently. _Get out of here!_ Then she turned to her own creations and began tearing through them with a will.

She paused in the midst of her destruction, hand hovering over what was called Apotoxin 4869, the supposedly deadly poison whose data she had changed. Shiho knew for a fact that it wasn't lethal, at least not in the doses the organization used. She had confirmed it herself only a few days earlier, when she had visited the house Akemi had been assigned to watch over in hopes of finding her sister. Instead she had found a set of children's clothing missing that had been there when the two of them had first seen the house. Shiho would have dismissed it as a coincidence if it weren't for the fact that the organization's databanks listed the house's resident as the first, and so far only, human test subject of the apotoxin.

Suddenly, Shiho found that she wanted to live. She wanted to find the boy that the organization wanted dead, that she had inadvertently saved, that her sister had been sent to watch over. She wanted to help him and anyone else that she had indirectly wronged.

Turning to the sink, Shiho turned on the tap and filled a glass. Blithely she slipped a capsule into her mouth and washed it down with water. Then, she turned to the door and walked out, leaving her old life behind. She was wracked with pain by the time she was halfway out the building, and she struggled to appear unaffected by it. Once outside, she managed to put a few streets between herself and the building before ducking into an alleyway to hide. It was too late to save her sister, she knew, but there were other people she could save now.

She might even be able to save herself.

-----

Akemi's hair was shorter now, and red. The color came from a gel that made her hair stiff and would wash out shortly, but she didn't need it to last long—only until she got out of the country. She sat perfectly still as Kaito finished applying her disguise. When he at last sat back, she slipped the glasses she had kept from her stint as Hirota Masami back on her nose, careful not to smudge the cover-up. Kaito leaned back and appeared to study his handiwork, though Akemi had a feeling that the crease in his brows was more from nerves than from self-criticism. Her suspicions were confirmed when he asked her, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Akemi thought about it. She had just woken up the previous day from her long sleep and so didn't know Kaito and his friends very well. Still, when they had told her what they were doing and the reason they were doing it, she found she couldn't turn away if she wanted to. So, she had volunteered to look for the Pandora Gem overseas. "Positive," she told him. When he still looked skeptical, she added, "I have to get out of the country anyway; I may as well do something useful with my time."

Sighing, Kaito finally dropped his gaze and nodded. "You're right. Anyway, your flight leaves soon; we should get you to the airport."

Akemi smiled warmly at him. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." Now that Shiho didn't have to worry about her, Akemi thought, she might finally leave the organization. Perhaps when she returned her little sister would be safe.

-----

Shiho clutched the now oversized lab coat around her for protection. Underneath, her once fitting shirt threatened to slip off of her small shoulders. _So,_ she thought, _it worked._ This didn't particularly surprise her, but it was reassuring to know that she had not misjudged the drug's effects.

It occurred to her that she could no longer be Miyano Shiho now. The Black Organization still thought she was alive, and if she used her own name she would not only be putting herself in danger but the apotoxin's first victim. So, what should she call herself?

Shiho found herself almost drowning in sorrow. She had done deeds through the Black Organization that she was truly ashamed of, and didn't even have her sister's life to show for it. She had caused more than her share of sadness. _Sorrow it is, I suppose,_ she thought rather cynically. She had a chance to make up for it now, but she could never erase what she had done. Even though she was leaving the Black Organization that still didn't make her white. _I guess that would make me gray, then._ She smiled bitterly at the notion. _Probably dark gray._

_Haibara Ai,_ she thought. _Perhaps not the best name, but it will do._ Satisfied, the newly christened Ai hiked up her socks took her first steps out of the alley and into her new life.

—Fin—

According to the manga, 'Hai' in 'Haibara' (meaning gray) was taken from Cordelia Gray. 'Ai' was taken from the 'I' in V.I. Warshawsky. Ai chose to have her first name written as 'sorrow' rather than the more common 'love'.

Sincerest apologies for the long wait; I was having trouble with this chapter that mostly revolved around forgetting key details. I'll do my best to keep it from happening again.

Thanks very much to Summercloud for beta reading.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	18. Confrontation

Communications

Confrontation

by socchan

"So how was your trip to Beika?" Saguru asked.

"Pointless," Heiji told him, still irritated. "Not only was Kudo not there, turns out he's been gone fer months!"

Saguru hummed sympathetically. "That's too bad; I would've liked to hear about his style."

"Yeah, well, that's not happenin' fer a while," Heiji said sullenly. "S'posedly he's workin' on some big case overseas. They don' even know when he'll be back."

"They who?"

Heiji made a sweeping hand gesture. "Anyone! The local police, his friends, his girlfriend – "

"You met his friends?" Saguru interrupted.

"Yeah." Heiji blinked. "Didn' I tell you? I checked at the Mouri Detective Agency while I was in Beika 'cuz I heard he hung around there sometimes. Kudo wasn' there, but his girlfriend or childhood friend or whatever was, an' so were a couple of his other friends and this weird kid with glasses who's s'posedly related to him. That reminds me," he added. "Ya know anyone named Nakamori Aoko or Kuroba Kaito?"

Saguru stared incredulously at his friend. "Are you kidding? Kuroba's the guy from school I told you about."

"Wait, really? You mean he's the guy you think is –" Heiji yelped in pain as Saguru stepped hard on his foot. "I was gonna say anoyin'," Heiji groused, "but that too. That's the guy, though?"

Saguru sighed. "Yes, that's him. I don't have any proof – quite a lot to contradict it, in fact – but I do think he's one of them."

"That so." A smile began to form on Heiji's face. "Well, maybe that trip to Beika wasn' so pointless after all."

Saguru's eyes narrowed. "You've figured something out, then?"

"Think so," Heiji replied. "Still gotta make sure, though. That Kid heist still on Wednesday?"

"Ten-thirty at the Takahashi Memorial Museam," Saguru confirmed.

"Right. I should be able to find out fer sure then."

-----

The heist was almost over when Heiji noticed the child leave. He took a final glance at the heist, where the Kid was still making a mockery of the police force, then slipped away from the front lines.

He tracked the boy to a narrow alley between two near-by buildings. There, he watched as the boy tensed in an un-childlike manner with every unnecessarily loud step he took. Heiji stopped a number of feet away from him: close enough to speak, but far enough away not to be an immediate threat.

Heiji spoke first. "Kudo Shin'ichi." The boy turned to face him, confusion written clearly on his features. Heiji repeated the name and he smiled nervously.

"Are you talking to me, mister?" he asked, pointing to himself. "Because my name's Conan, not Shin'ichi."

"Sure it's not," Heiji agreed. "Jus' like you haven't been helpin' the Kid remotely with his heists."

"And how could I do that, mister?" the child asked innocently.

Heiji shrugged. "Some sort of wireless communication device prob'ly. All I know is, you say jump an' the Kid jumps."

"That doesn't prove anything," the boy pointed out. "Anyway, how would that make me that Shin'ichi guy?"

"It doesn't," Heiji admitted. "I didn't figure that out 'til I visited Beika and found out that Kudo'd been missin' a while. I checked how long, an' the dates match up almost exac'ly with the time you started showin' up at Kid heists."

"But if Shin'ichi's supposed to be some sort of detective, why would he start helping out some thief?" The child argued. Heiji grinned to himself; this Conan kid wasn't exactly acting like a grade-schooler anymore.

"Two possible reasons. One, the Kid knows your identity and is blackmailin' you somehow – which doesn't seem likely. Since you're a great detective and all, you'd prob'ly figure out a way to get him to reveal his own identity and get whatever he's blackmailin' you with back at the same time."

The boy stared piercingly up at him. "Or?"

"Or," Heiji continued, "you _didn't_ just start helpin' the Kid. You've been helpin' him all along and playin' detective on the side so no one'd suspect you. Frankly, even if I don't know why you'd want to help a thief, that reason'd make more sense. 'Specially since the Kid seems to be more than one person. I think if I told Inspector Nakamori 'bout that, he'd agree that it was all too much of a coincidence for Kudo to be just an innocent bystander."

Kudo – and Heiji was sure of it now – dropped his childish demeanor and stared seriously at him. Heiji was surprised at how much of a difference it made. "What do you want?" Kudo accused. "If you were going to turn me in, the police would be here by now."

Heiji stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on behind that childlike face. "Why are you doin' it?" he asked finally. "Why're you helpin' the Kaitou Kid, of all people?"

Kudo's glasses glinted in the moonlight. "Yer a detective," he drawled, badly imitating Heiji's Osaka accent. "_You_ figure it out."

Heiji opened his mouth to protest, but the Kudo took the opportunity to detonate a pink-tinted smoke bomb. Coughing, Heiji could barely make out a small form being whisked away by a wire. When the smoke cleared, Kudo was gone.

Saguru jogged into the alleyway and up to Heiji. "I saw the smoke and came running," he explained. "Is everything alright?"

Heiji stared up the side of the building that Kudo had escaped over. "You'll never b'lieve it," he said, "but I found Kudo Shin'ichi."

—Fin—

Well, so much for trying not to do that again. If anyone cares, I blame CFUD (a LiveJournal community).

Thanks very much to Summercloud for beta reading. Thanks also to Dagron for helping me remember that people liked this story - me included. _Hopefully_ more coming eventually.

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


	19. New Variables

New Variables

"I don't see why you have to clean Shin'ichi's house this weekend," Sonoko complained, the Kudo residence drawing nearer. "I mean, you're not married _yet_ or anything."

"Sonoko!" Ran exclaimed, coloring slightly.

"Not that you _won't_ be, just as soon as he gets back," her best friend continued blithely. "With how long he's taking, he's probably trying to find the perfect ring or something."

Ran smacked Sonoko lightly on the arm. "That's enough out of you," she admonished, glancing apologetically at Conan; he rolled his eyes privately at her in return, used to Sonoko's busybody tendencies by this point.

"Yeah, yeah," Sonoko huffed. "You still haven't explained the house cleaning thing, though."

"Shin'ichi needed someone to look after the house while he was away," Ran told her simply. "Since I already have a key, it only makes--" Ran broke off abruptly, her eyes landing on the small body on the sidewalk.

"Oh my god," Sonoko breathed. Conan was already running to the small girl's side. A split-second later, Sonoko and Ran joined him.

"She's still breathing," Conan announced, moving his hand from the child's pulse, "and it doesn't look like she's been hurt. Her clothes are pretty dirty though, and she's flushed and sweating, so she probably collapsed from exhaustion."

Ran glanced at Sonoko, but her friend hadn't seemed to notice anything weird about a first grader spouting that information.

"We need to see if she'll wake up," Conan added, "so we can find out if she needs help."

"Right," Ran murmured, reaching out to shake the girl's shoulder gently. "Hey, hey. Are you okay?"

The girl stirred, then blinked blearily up at Ran. "What's...?

"We think you passed out," Ran replied, relieved the girl was able to respond. "Do you know where your parents are?"

The girl blinked again and shook her head. "No. No parents. Dead. My older sister too, now."

Ran swallowed a gasp, though Sonoko was less successful. She stroked the girl's forehead, eyes widening at the heat under her fingertips; she was burning up. How long had she been outside? "Is there anyone you can stay with?"

The girl chuckled breathlessly, the sound strangely grown-up for a child. "No," she replied, "no one. They're all dead, dead or no good."

"Shouldn't we be calling the police?" Conan hinted strongly. "They could--"

"No," the girl interrupted, her hand shooting out to clutch at his sleeve white-fingered. "No police."

Ran frowned. "No police? But they can help--"

"No police," the girl repeated desperately, whites showing around her fevered eyes. "_Please_."

Conan uttered a strangled sound, and Ran made a decision. "Okay, no police. But we do have to find somewhere for you to stay."

"I can take her in." Ran and Conan's heads snapped turned towards Sonoko. Sonoko shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I can. It's not like I don't have room, especially since my sister moved out, and I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind." Which, Ran was sure, meant that Sonoko would talk them into submission if they thought differently.

"You really don't have to," Ran said, even though it would ease her worries considerably.

Sonoko was already waving her concerns off, though. "I already said I'd do it, didn't I? Besides," she added with a wink, "it's my turn to take one home, anyway. I was beginning to feel left out."

Ran smiled gratefully at her. "I'll leave her in your care, then. Be ready to deal with her fever and enroll her in school."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll take care of things," Sonoko nodded. "Now let me give my parents a heads up so they aren't too surprised when I bring home a stray." Sonoko then pulled a cell phone from her pocket and walked a short distance away for better reception.

Ran turned her attention back to the girl, who was focusing on Conan for the first time that day. "...Kudo Shin'ichi," she murmured, raising a small hand to point.

Conan froze a moment, then plastered on childlike innocence. "Eh? Isn't that the guy who lives here?"

The girl frowned. "Don't lie. Made the poison. Apo... Apotoxin. I know it's you." Ran struggled for something to say, and the girl looked away from Conan. "I took it, too. Didn't want to work for. For them anymore. Wanted to get out."

Conan was still fumbling for words when Ran managed to ask, "Why?"

The girl fell briefly silent. From a short distance away, Ran could hear Sonoko on the phone, arguing with her parents (No, she _didn't_ always pull stunts like this, how could they say that? And right now the stray ca--er, little homeless girl was _horribly sick_, and did they want that on her conscience?). Her smile was offset by the sudden pang of worry she felt for her friend, unexpectedly involved in this mess after Ran had spent so long trying to protect her from it. It was probably only a matter of time before she learned everything now, Ran mused, looking at the not-child again, but she'd protect her as long as she could.

"Killed people," the girl said, breaking through Ran's thoughts with the answer to her question at last. "They killed... my sister. Only family I had left. Broke their promise. Couldn't stay after that. Wouldn't." She was staring at Conan again. "Knew you were alive," she continued. "Made the poison, so I knew it. Made sure they don't, though. Wanted to help, make up for things. Get them put away."

Conan met Ran's eyes, then darted a quick glance to the girl and back again, questioning. Imperceptibly, Ran nodded. Conan turned his attention back to the girl. "Okay," he told her. "You're going to stay with a friend of ours for a while. She doesn't know anything, so she should be safer. We'll start working together as soon as we can."

The girl smiled in relief, and Sonoko chose that moment to return. "It's all set up," she announced. "Mom and Dad are sending a taxi over so she won't have to walk, either." She crouched and grinned at the girl. "Hear that? It'll be almost like having a sister around again. Which, speaking of, I can't have a new little not-quite-sister and not know her name..."

The girl blinked owlishly at Sonoko through her fever, and then began to smile. "Ai. Haibara Ai."

"Right. Nice to meet you, then, Ai-chan; I'm Sonoko." Sonoko took Ai's hand and shook it gently.

Ai nodded. "It'll be nice," she said softly, already drifting. "Almost like... before..."

Ran smiled at both of them, already mentally outlining what she planned to tell Kaito and Aoko about the situation. "Yeah," she said aloud, "it sounds like things are going to be great."

—End—

A good five to seven more of these left, I'm pretty sure, but at least I'm two-thirds to three-quarters of the way done? Anyhow, I plan to get to work on this a little more rigorously now (and we all know how well that's gone in the past, sadly), so _hopefully_ I'll have something more within a month or two. Hopefully. Fingers crossed, etc.

Oh, uh, this is also unbeta'd, because I am horrible and impatient like that at the moment (oops?). So any input in that regard, particularly the last few paragraphs, would be really fantastic. Thanks much in advance!

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito are by Aoyama Gosho; concepts and characters have been used without permission.


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